The Heart's Desire
by thechilldude
Summary: After reflecting on his relationship with Akane, Ranma goes through a rollercoaster of emotions as he realizes the love he had for Akane wasn't love at all. Ranma/Ryoga OOC!
1. Akane's Cousin

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or any or its characters. The work of literacy shall not be distributed for any other purposes other than entertainment.

Author's note: I seem to be having some difficulty with copying and pasting. Earlier it had posted the same story twice, but I solved that problem. If there are any repeats in the story let me know.

Further notice...I want some constructive criticism (any review is fine, unless you're just flaming me). I'm going to post three chapters for now, and post another in a week or so. I was going to wait until I was done with the whole story, but it was taking to long, and maybe some constructive criticism will motivate me to do better and finish it. I strive to make this story the best I can for a certain someone... Anywho, on with the story.

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As we grow older, we take little things in life for granted. Things like our favorite pair of shoes, or education. We can even go as far as taking friends for granted. We can be on the outside looking in, watching our friends suffer, but we don't do anything about it because we don't think we can. And for a while, our lives go on like they always do. We ignore the problem that is plaguing our friend. That is, until we can no longer look away.

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**Section 1: Concessions**

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Chapter 1: Akane's Cousin

For the first six months, there wasn't a single day in which strange things weren't happening to Ranma. He met rivals and fiancées alike. He met old friends and made new ones. He's fought monsters and defeated a God.

But after those six months, Everything settled down. It was a miracle, but one of Ranma's wishes had finally come true. Of course, he had several others, but what person didn't have wishes. His wish had been for at least a semi-normal lifestyle.

With no enemies he could not defeat, Ranma attended school and continued his studies with Akane and Nabiki and the rest of the crew. There were still the occasional bouts between rivals such as Mousse and Ryoga, for one reason or another, but Ranma enjoyed that, and it kept him in top performance. And so for the next five months afterwards, things became trite.

Day in and day out, the same things occurred. He would travel to school, where he ran into Kuno and thoroughly bashed his fists into him. Then, after school he would be attacked by either Ryoga or Mousse. After defeating them, he and Akane would go back home, and on their way, Ranma would be glomped by Shampoo. And then came the mallet to the head, for Ranma.

During the summers, they would temporarily forget their differences, and the whole gang would gather around and go to the beach. During the winters, they would give and receive. Those were the only times where Ranma received peace and quiet from all abnormal distractions, and he could think.

And it was one of these times right at the moment. They were currently bounded for the beach, opting to travel by bus. Conversation was afoot among the large group, though Ranma hardly heard a word that was spoken.

He was instead, focused on his thoughts, as explained above. He rummaged through his mind on all he knew about his curse. He'd questioned a few people about the curse. Some, who knew of his curse, would suggest that the strange occurrences followed Ranma because of it. It had been one reason why he was disgusted by it.

Another reason was because it turned Akane Tendo away. She didn't like it in the least bit, adamantly proclaiming to be straight. And because of this, their marriage was postponed until he could find a cure.

"Pfft, as if that would happen." he mumbled angrily. There was no cure. Cologne had made him well aware of that fact. And it would take a miracle to find some loop hole in the curse.

Apparently Akane was listening and she glanced worriedly in his direction. "Ranma, what's wrong?" He snapped from his reverie and turned his attention to her. She was looking into him with those beautiful brown eyes.

"Nothing. Nothin's wrong Akane. I was just thinkin' 'bout some stuff's all." Ranma replied. He drooped his head and waited. He made sure she was content with his answer before returning to his thought process.

If it weren't for Akane hating the curse, Ranma might have grown used to it. But he could never forget those furtive remarks and looks she gave him when he was a female. And then there was the whole honor in become a man among men that made him that much more adamant in enforcing his manhood.

For the most part Akane tried to ignore Ranma's girl-half. They have gone on dates, and in some of those dates, Akane had to accept going with his girl-half. After all, the female version was still Ranma.

Ranma remembered every one of those dates. And how he would get to kiss her, if he weren't a girl at the time. But in those times where he was, he couldn't even make the simple advances of a cuddle.

He knew he should be disconcerted by the whole dilemma, but it only made him hate the girl-half that much more. And that hate had somehow hurt him. It didn't really make much sense to him, but maybe he shouldn't question why it hurt him as much as why Akane turned those advances down.

He quietly assessed the situation. He was in love with Akane. That much was for sure. But he wasn't good enough for her, for he was cursed to become a girl when he came in contact with cool water. He couldn't simply wish the curse away, it wasn't that simple. So therefore, he was in limbo.

He shook his head clear. He shouldn't be concentrating so much on his troubles. This trip was exactly there for him to forget his troubles, even if they were only to be gone for a short period of time. He could be with family and friends and enjoy the time with them instead of worrying over the future. He became slightly happier at that prospect.

The bus was nearly at its final destination. They could see the beach in their eyes now. The wheels soon lolled to a stop, and the family eagerly gathered their meager supplies and excitedly exited the bus. They wouldn't stop until they reached the beach, where they set up umbrellas, and set down coolers full of an assortment of consumables.

Everyone had lightened up, even Nabiki. She had been paired off with her two sisters in a beach volleyball battle against Ranma, Mousse, and Dr. Tofu. The ball was passed back and forth with quick precision. Akane smacked the ball over to Ranma, who hopped and slapped the ball back over to Kasumi.

The game was pretty even, Happosai thought as he stared, particularly at the girls. It was a shame he couldn't have a crack at the panty goodness. He, however, enjoyed the game never-the-less.

Another spectator was enjoying the game, but for a different reason. Shampoo was admiring the way Ranma lithely passed the ball back and forth. The tight squeezing his muscles made as he moved in the sunny day. It made her shudder with excitement.

In the water, Tsubasa and Ukyo were both splashing each other with much fervor. They were giggling and laughing. They swam around, playfully running the watery sand through their toes and gasping as they touched the smooth surface of rock or seaweed.

Over in the shade, Genma, Soun, and Cologne huddled together, concentrating stiffly on a game of shogi. It was a heated battle of Cologne against Genma and Soun. They both frowned as Cologne had won yet again.

"Hey Ranma, Akane, let's go surfing." Ukyo yelled out. Ranma smiled and nodded earnestly as he went quickly into a bathroom to change. The water was going to change him into a woman, and after over eleven months of containing the curse, he had learned a little bit about woman modesty.

After a quick change. The three jumped back into the water, surf boards in hand, and the two girls and, well, half-girl hit the waves. They weren't very good at surfing, but that didn't matter. They still had fun.

Hours of the fun and care-free attitude of the group continued long into the night. They set up camp near the beach and cooked delicious food on a grill. They ate plentifully that night.

Their vacation continued for a week. Though their activities varied throughout the week, they're fun never ceased for a single moment. It was a warm welcoming to a normally overly serious group such as this.

On one night, Ranma stayed outside of his tent, longingly staring into the stars. He found them beautiful on a night like this. Each star represented a galaxy, full of life and energy. It just goes to show how small their world really was in comparison with the rest of the universe.

He loved the stars. They were always there to give him comfort whenever he felt down, or there to tell him that some things don't change. If he looked at them long enough, they would form patterns and words. They promised of a new day of fortune and hope. Hope that his life would be complete.

He was starting to dip back into the startling depression. He still had no idea what caused it, but he knew it had to deal with him and Akane. He wasn't satisfied with the way things were. There was something more that he wanted. He tried understanding what it all signified, but all the thoughts came back to him in a jumbled state. Perhaps he was just trying to hard to make things perfect.

There would always be ups and downs, he knew that. There would be pain and love. Yin and yang. That was just a part of life. He sighed. He knew this to be true, and his pain subsided.

"Ranma?"

He turned to the owner of the voice. It had been Akane. "Oh, hey'ya Akane. How's it goin'?" He watched her take a seat next to him, getting comfortable.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she leaned her cheek on her fist. She was looking intently at him, thoroughly making sure he wasn't going to get away from her this time.

"I was just thinking." Ranma replied stiffly. He had a lump in his throat suddenly. As if this was a scratchy topic. Who knows, maybe it was.

"About what?" She continued.

"Oh you know…The usual. Us. Me. Romantic stuff." Ranma tried to keep things basic. Maybe he could shake her off him as he had on the bus.

No such luck. She looked at him fixedly, expecting a more specific answer. He knew he couldn't escape from the topic this time. He chuckled half-heartedly and closed in on her. "I was thinkin' 'bout how beautiful we're together."

Just as they were about exchange their lips in a lip lock, one fateful meeting interrupted their precious time alone together. It was from an unsuspecting source, too.

"Ranma, prepare to die!" Ryoga chanted as he barged forward. Ranma widened his eyes as he saw the incoming attack. He rolled away as Ryoga's attack came bearing down on him. He leaped back over a swinging umbrella and ducked a flying fist. He sent several chestnut fists into Ryoga's gut. Ranma dove back and kicked up into Ryoga's chin.

Ryoga soared through the air, but the attack didn't seem to affect him. He chucked three pairs of bandana shuriken at Ranma, who evaded to the left, the right and leaned back, as if preparing for a limbo contest. Ranma made a reach for the third bandana as it passed him, and caught it. Without hesitating in the slightest, He sent it flying back at Ryoga with the flick of his wrist.

Ignoring the shuriken-like bandanas, Ryoga held out a hand and yelled, "Shishi Hokoudan!" A negative blast exploded outward, ripping through bandana like butter. It continued onward towards Ranma quickly. Ranma had little time to pull off his own maneuver "Moko Takabishi!"

The two blasts smacked against each other and negated. The aftermath shook the ground around them, but they didn't seem to notice. Akane, who was not to far off, covered her face in fear. The blast was very close, and it could have brought harm to her. After the light show was over, Akane screamed at Ranma, "Ranma-no-baka! You should know better than to fight so close to me! I could have been killed in the cross fire!"

Ranma tried responding to Akane that it wasn't his fault, but Ryoga came at him again, with more fierceness. He seemed angered that Ranma had nearly hurt Akane. Without a reply, Ranma dodged an incoming fist. He engaged in a heated exchange of punches and kicks.

Faster, Ranma could get off more punches, but Ryoga's punches were more powerful. If he hadn't developed a touch skin from the previous bouts against Ryoga, he might not have survived this long into the fight.

The battle raged on. Ranma's only hope of knocking Ryoga back was the chestnut fist attack, but he was to close to pull off the maneuver without being countered. He needed to withdraw and make a strike on Ryoga's other side. He backed up, intent on side-stepping around Ryoga for a sneaky assault. But things didn't quite go according to plan.

Ryoga stepped forward as Ranma stepped back. He was getting closer to the edge of the beach. The ocean waters came up to meet him. All it took was that one touch, and Ranma underwent the sex change. She cursed under her breath as she lost even more control in the battle.

Though she was now faster, Ranma's punches were even less devastating. And Ryoga's intense training regimen the past few weeks has gotten Ranma on her last edge. Fortunately for her, Ranma found an opening. "Kachu, Tenshin Amaguriken!" Her famous chestnut punches pounded into Ryoga, forcing him back slowly, step by step.

Even though Ranma had the slight advantage of speed, It only delayed the inevitable defeat. Ryoga had won this excursion, but he knew Ranma would be determined to become even stronger later. He would have to get stronger if he wanted to stay as number one in all of Japan. Therefore, at the end of the fight between Ranma and himself, he bid him goodbye and left in search of ways to get even more power.

Why didn't he kill Ranma? It was simple. Ranma was his best friend. Even though he spouted proclamations of murder all the time, Ryoga would never go through with it. He didn't have the heart. Ranma was no longer the outlet of blame, to him.

Ranma was okay for the most part. She now adorned several bruises and cuts, but she wasn't seriously injured. She would have to rest mostly for a day or two, but no more than that. She was glad that Ryoga was never serious about killing her. She understood the meaning of the act of kindness Ryoga showed toward her. She realized that they were best friends, and not just rivals.

=&=

The trip back to Nerima was uneventful. After the bus ride, Everyone said their farewell and went their separate ways, to wherever they belonged. Their summer vacation had officially come to a close, and by the next day, everything would be back to normal. Shampoo and Ukyo would be contesting Akane for Ranma's heart. Mousse, Kodachi, and Kuno would attack Ranma, in one form or another. And Genma would still piss him off.

As the dysfunctional family approached their residence, the Tendo house stared back at them happily, ready to receive it's occupants with open arms. The gate was unhinged, the door unlocked, and the lights turned on. They unpacked and promptly retired for the night.

The next morning, Ranma awoke to a distress call. It was emanating from the front porch; Ranma hopped out of his futon, opened the window and leaped out into daylight…straight into the koi pond!

Surfacing, Ranma cursed to the skies for her misfortune. She whipped around and clutched roughly on the rocks surrounding the koi pond, heaving herself up and out of the water.

Glancing around, Ranma found the object in distress. One Akane Tendo. She was currently staring at two visitors. One of them, Ranma found familiar, the other not so much, though, her clothing was very similar to Akane's. Perhaps she was a long lost twin or something.

"Ryoga! Cousin Akari! How does it go?" Akane asked joyfully and invited them inside. She didn't even seem to notice Ranma outside as she closed the door behind her and followed them into the living room.

Ranma was shocked. Ryoga had found a girl!? This was definitely news to her! Last time she saw him, Ryoga was still going through so much depression. Ranma suddenly felt bad for not trying to help Ryoga through those times, but it was already said and over with, right? There was nothing she could do, except go in and introduce herself to Ryoga's new girlfriend.

Inside the living room, Ranma properly introduced herself to Akari. Hey, she could have manners, when she wanted to. The group of four sat comfortably on the couch, where they spoke cordially. It was mostly Akari and Akane wrapped up in the conversation, and the boys interjected every now and then.

Akari turned to Ranma and said, "You're Ranma, right?"

Ranma nodded with a smile and held out her hand. They shook each other's hands, and afterwards, Akari asked Ryoga, "I thought you said your best friend was a guy."

With a flush, Ryoga mumbled, "Well Ranma normally is a guy. I mean-he was born a guy. And…"

"Oh," Akari responded, misinterpreting Ryoga's sentence, and exclaimed innocently, "So Ranma was born a guy, but she was really a girl, and had surgery, thus making her a woman?" She stuck a forefinger on her mouth thoughtfully.

While Ranma was seething, Ryoga tried desperately to salvage the situation. "No, what I mean to say is err…Ranma is cursed. He becomes a girl every time he's splashed with cold water. And then he becomes a guy when he's splashed with hot water. Kasumi!"

"Yes?" Kasumi replied stoically from the kitchen. She was most likely preparing everyone's lunches. She peered around the doorframe to the living room, staring directly at Ryoga.

"Can you boil up some tea?" Ryoga asked politely, adding, "please?" After receiving the tea, he poured it over Ranma, and Ranma transformed back into a male. The transformation was quick, and the male Ranma stared calmly at Akari.

"I see." Akari said simply.

"…Wait a minute, why'd I show you how it worked? You already know about mine!" Ryoga asked, and a moment later, he snapped his mouth shut and planted a hand firmly over it in fear of being found out by Akane.

A nerve struck a chord. "You have a curse?" Akane asked sweetly, almost with a sneer on her mouth. "Mind telling me what curse that might be?" Ryoga's reaction to his own mistake caused Akane to become suspicious. Her brow furrowed as she waited impatiently for his answer.

"I…am cursed to turn into a pig." Ryoga replied sheepishly. The statement spoke in volumes to Akane. Abruptly, she wielded her famous mallet and smacked Ryoga outside and into the sky.

For once, Ranma was glad that he was down here and not up there in the sky. So Akane's anger _wasn't _only directed at him. Ranma chuckled.

"Lunch is ready," called out Kasumi as she set the plates and sandwiches on the table in the dining room. She found Ryoga trudge in a few seconds later, covered in filth and mud. She exclaimed, "Oh my!" She went to Ryoga's aid and helped him clean up.

=&=

Ranma was gazing at the sun setting in the west. He loved the red-orange lights that emanated off the sun. Ranma compared the sun setting to his sleepy form. They had so many common qualities that one wouldn't normally look at. They both radiated confidence and hope, and the length of time it spent above them all was eerily similar to Ranma's undying will to fight.

The roof in which Ranma was sitting on was comfortable enough. At least it kept him stable on top of the house. And this was away from all the other residents of the household. Up here, it was quiet.

It was becoming increasingly normal for Ranma to stand outside of their circle and think about his life. He hadn't done so in the early months of his stay at the Tendo house. Perhaps he wanted to go back to his own home, and be with his mother, Nodoka?

He doubted so. He may have wanted spend more time with her, but he didn't think it was that serious. No, a more probable reason was the shaky relationship with Akane. He could admit to himself, even if it was only to himself, that there was something wrong in their relationship.

Not that he would go see a relationships expert. Ranma was too arrogant to dip so low as to seeing a counselor. If their relationship was meant to last, then he would solve it on his own.

"Hey Ranma," someone spoke off-handedly as they hopped down next to him. He spun around to find Ryoga sitting next to him. He beamed and jibed, "so you found your way up on the roof P-chan. Congratulations."

"Save it Ranma." Ryoga replied. Ranma studied Ryoga's features carefully. He could tell there was something going on. Ryoga bit his lip as he stared down at his hands. He clenched his eyes shut and explained, "I'm going to go live with Akari. This may be the last time we see each other."

"You won't come'n'visit?" Ranma asked incredulously, "We're rivals Ryoga. We've gotta continue sparring to keep up our strength." He beat his hand upon his chest. "I know I'm good, Ryoga. But I didn't think I'd scare _you_ away, of all people."

"Would you just shut up Ranma!" Ryoga yelled. Ranma jumped back. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. Still, Ryoga usually didn't react that harshly to Ranma's taunts. They usually would fight and all would be okay. "I don't want to come back."

It looked like he was straining to say these words. Perhaps a part of him didn't want to say this, wanted to come back to the Tendo's every now and then. It didn't matter, though. He continued anyways, "This has been a place of nothing but pain and humiliation for me. No more."

Ranma stared at Ryoga confusedly. "What do you mean?" He asked with a long face. He didn't like where this was going. The evidence, however, was leading to him being the cause of Ryoga's suffering.

Ryoga jumped up from his seat and growled at Ryoga, "I mean, that no matter how we look at it, you have brought about my suffering. And now, I'm severing our ties. I'm through having to deal with your shit. I hate you, Ranma, but you're lucky, because I can't kill you. Akane wouldn't forgive me if I did."

Well gee. Isn't that nice of Ryoga. "What do ya mean my shit? I have to deal with yours as well." Ranma retorted, pointing an accusing finger at Ryoga. "I just want to be your friend, but if that's so god damn hard then you should just leave!"

"Fine I will! I don't need you or Akane. Akari is more than enough to mend my heart!" Ryoga turned around briskly and stomped off the roof. This show of ferocity angered Ranma even more, and he moved to pull out all the hair on his head. He sighed heavily with anger. "Rah!!"

Akane and Akari, who had just gotten back from the mall, an idea Akari suggested to spend the day while their friends said their goodbyes. They heard the commotion before they saw it. As they entered the gate, they saw Ryoga leap off the roof of the house.

Before questions could be voiced, Ryoga harshly grabbed a hold of Akari's hand and stampeded out of the lot. "Why are we leaving so soon?" Akari asked as they headed back to Akari's home.

Ryoga replied gruffly, "Ranma." And he would say no more. She said, "I presume Ranma didn't take the news well?"

Akane watched the two speed walk away into the sunset. She fleetingly wondered if he knew they were going in the wrong direction before the clamor of a door slamming grabbed her attention. She hurried along to catch up to Ranma.

"Ranma!" she yelled as she reached his bedroom. He replied by slamming his bedroom door. "Ranma what's wrong?!" She cried, again trying to help Ranma. But to no avail did she get him to open his door.

"Just go away! I wanna be alone righ' now!" He sounded hurt more than angry. And what's worse is he wouldn't let anyone in to give him a shoulder to cry on. No matter what she tried, she couldn't pry the door open. And so the door stayed close four hours on into the night.


	2. Kasumi's Solace

Author's note: Same note as in last chapter. If you notice any repeats, let me know. I deleted as much double paragraphs as I could. Let me know if there are any repeat paragraphs remaining. Also, I tried dumbing Ranma up a bit in his dialogue, but my word document likes to correct the speech even if I'm doing it on purpose, so if it's not to satisfactory levels, let me know. Also let me know if there's anything I need to do to improve the quality of the work.

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_There are happy times and sad times. During those happy times, people enjoy having company over, and during the sad times, they just want to be left alone. Why is that? Company is most needed during the sad times. The mind is an enigma, full of contradictory statements and actions. People tune others out when they are sad to signify that there really is something they don't like, and it grabs other peoples' attention. Whether their accept help or not, remains to be the question._

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**Chapter 2: Kasumi's solace**

It was well past midnight. Ranma opened his door and quietly snuck down the stairs towards the kitchen. He hadn't eaten dinner yet, and he was hungry. He retrieved leftovers from the fridge, heated them up, and took them to the dining room.

He was extra quiet in consuming the meal. Being quiet meant that he had to eat slowly, but he wasn't nervous of anyone hearing. The meal took all of thirty minutes to eat due to his slowness. But he didn't care. By the time he was done, he was numb again. He placed the dish in the sink, the only reminder that he had been back down.

With a sedate walk through the family room, he shifted his focus on to more pressing matters. He noticed that Akane sought refuge on the couch, in the event that Ranma had removed himself from the confines of his room. He slowly stepped up the stairs, only to stop when he heard a creak.

Akane was quick in waking up. "Ranma." she whispered. Wow, she's good, Ranma thought.

Trying to ignore her, Ranma made a move for his room. Akane was faster however, leaping up the stairs three steps at a time and blocking access to his room. He growled, "Move."

"No."

She reached for Ranma, who turned around and headed for the bathroom. He was desperate in staying away from Akane. The last thing he wanted to do now was talk about his problems. But Akane stopped him from his travels, turned him around, and pushed him up against a wall.

"Don't you think about escaping from me this time." Akane said as she pressed up against him. "You're going to tell me what's wrong."

"Make me." Ranma said angrily, nearly in a shout. The tears in his eyes that threatened to fall ruined the glare he sent Akane. He shook them away.

"Ranma." Akane said, "it's okay to cry."

"No it's not.. Only weak girls cry. Am I a weak girl?"

Akane rolled her eyes. This statement again. Akane pulled out a bucket of cold water from who knows where and dumped it on Ranma. The girl in front of her was close to tears now. As they fell, she glomped Akane and cried on her chest.

The hug made Akane feel uncomfortable. She wasn't good at making people feel better. She wished Kasumi was around to help. She always knew how to make everything better. But she wasn't here, and it was up to Akane to cheer Ranma up.

She pulled her into her room and shut the door. They lain on the futon and she embraced her close. She rubbed her hand up and down Ranma's back, comforting her.

Ranma must have cried for a quarter of an hour. Akane's shirt was damp from the tears, but she didn't pay any heed. Akane pulled Ranma away from her and asked, "What happened?"

"R-Ryoga an' I…we got into a fight an'…he's never comin' back!" Ranma jumped on Akane once more. She was still sobbing, but Akane was no longer trying to console him.

"You…you got into a fight with Ryoga?" Akane furrowed her brow and snarled. She pushed Ranma away and yelled, "How could you?!" Having a girl pressed up against her, she might have been able to take, but Ranma and Ryoga fighting? She couldn't. "Ryoga is a nice guy and you fight him for finding true happiness!"

It didn't matter to Ranma that Akane had completely misconstrued her words. She was smacked by a mallet and sent flying through the wall into the next room. She'd fallen into the furo. The water promptly turned on and hit his skin. The warm water flowed down to his back and into the tub.

Stars flew around his head as he was disorientated by the blow. As soon as the room stopped spinning, Ranma yelled at the top of his lungs, "What do you know ya un-cute tomboy! You dun understand me at all!"

He fled the bathroom, sprinted down the stairs and slammed the front door behind him. And out of the Tendo yard he went.

=&=

"Oh my!" Kasumi stared at Akane disappointedly, "You should be ashamed of yourself."

The Tendo sisters were all sitting around the dining room table, discussing the preceding events of the night before. Akane had told her story and reiterated it, explaining herself to her two sisters, but both of them were still unconvinced that Ranma was in the wrong.

"Yeah, Akane. This is too low, even for you." Nabiki jeered with sparkling eyes. Her short auburn hair swayed as she poked Akane in the shoulder, "Ranma's hardly at fault. Did you see Ryoga with any bruises as he and Akari left?"

"Well, no, but that doesn't mean…" She said, trying her hardest to find Ranma at fault for something. But she quickly found that Ranma had done nothing wrong. And now she felt guilt in her heart for hurting Ranma when he most was in his most vulnerable state. He might be seeking relief from Cologne or Ukyo right now. Anything was better than how she treated him.

"How do I make it up to him?" Akane asked her sisters. It was crucial that she resolve the conflict between them and help Ranma.

There was a lot on her mind. She held a very special place in her heart for Ranma. But she didn't know if she could deal with being married to someone who was a girl half of the time. With Ranma's suffering, he needed an outlet to pour his heart in. It seemed like he could only do that as a girl, or his honor and arrogance would get in the way.

It wasn't that Akane blamed Ranma for the pain he was going through, but that she was putting the blame on Ranma so she didn't have to console him. While Ranma was a girl, Akane was uncomfortable around him. It all made sense now, but Akane couldn't overcome that.

"It's up to him to forgive you or not, Akane. But he is out there somewhere, hurting. You must go to him." Kasumi said wisely. Akane nodded. She must make amends for what she'd done to him.

She was running all around Nerima in search for Ranma. First she had gone to Ukyo's, asking for Ranma. Ukyo shook her head, saying she hadn't seen Ranma since the beach party. When Ukyo asked what was going on, Akane turned and left.

Her next stop was at the Cat café. As she opened the door and stepped inside, Shampoo greeted her. "…violent girl? Why you here?"

"I'm looking for Ranma." Akane said, "Has he been here?"

Shampoo nodded, "He left. Ranma go away. Don't know where. What mean-girl do this time? Ranma hurt. Hurt bad." She was ready to engage in combat against Akane right this second.

Akane shifted uncomfortably. "I realized my mistake and I'm trying to find him to make it up to him. I can't stay and chat. Bye." She scampered out the door.

"You pay mean-girl. Shampoo make you pay!" But Akane didn't pay attention to Shampoo's threat.

Continuing her travels through, Akane was unable to find Ranma anywhere. She was greatly displeased with the current situation, being unable to make it up to Ranma like this. She was quickly running out of time, as well. She had a job to go to soon.

The past year, Nabiki's bank roll has been steadily dropping, with the way Ranma and Genma ate. Even with Ranma posing as a girl to help get them money, it wasn't enough to subsidize their credit. Akane finally broke down one day last month and applied for a job.

Giving up, Akane headed back to the Tendo house to prepare for her job and disclose the sad news to her sisters. On her way through the gate, she found Kasumi and Nabiki waiting patiently on the patio. They were worried about Ranma as well, after all.

She told them and stepped inside. She put on her work uniform and went on her way to work.

The two sisters watched her leave. Nabiki grew tired of waiting for Ranma to return. "I'm sorry, Kasumi. I have some errands I have to make. I'll see you tonight." Kasumi nodded in understanding.

"That's okay, Nabiki. I understand. You can't be late to your meetings, that's just your style." Kasumi bid Nabiki farewell, and watched her leave as well.

She was all alone now, like she normally was. She let her walls down. A sad expression appeared on her face. She was lonely, having no one to be with. She expected for Dr. Tofu to make a move any day now, but now she wasn't so sure he ever would. She wouldn't let anyone see her pain. She instead helped everyone else with theirs.

Kasumi was just a people pleaser. That's all there was to it. When their mother had died, she had taken up that mother position, helping the family out of their depression. She had to be strong then, and she would be strong now. This event would just be another example of her strength, helping out others, when she herself was unstable.

She wasn't sure where Ranma was, but she knew he would return sometime soon. He couldn't very well leave this place, for she knew he still loved Akane. She was afraid, though, that Akane was going to one day hurt Ranma so bad that he never did want to return. It upset Kasumi that Akane took Ranma for granted. He may be a guy, and like all guys, a pervert, but Ranma was a special, one of a kind guy. Akane was going to hurt herself by continuing to push Ranma away.

It was about another hour, but Ranma did return, just as Kasumi had predicted. He bounded for the door, and as he reached Kasumi, he said, "I don't want to talk about it Kasumi, so please don't comfort me. I just needed some time to think things through."

"And?" Kasumi asked simply. She needed to keep her questions sweet and simple. She could pry a lot more out of Ranma that way than if she jumped on him about the incident. Let him unveil the information.

"I found out that I'm just a bad friend." Ranma said. He was a lot harder than normal people. He was able to keep everything secret at the same time as answering one's questions. Kasumi had to be tactful if she wanted to understand the problem.

"Oh? And why's that?" She guessed he was referring to the friendship between him and Ryoga. She had after all, listened in on him the night before. It was something she didn't want Akane knowing, for she wanted her to see the errors of her ways, as she had at the table this morning.

"…I…I just am. I hate my curse! It's made me do so many things that I regret now. An' now…I can't undo them."

"Well, Ranma…" Kasumi began, clearing her throat and smiling sweetly, "We all do some things we regret Ranma. Sometimes when we realize the errors of our ways, we can make things better. The past cannot be undone. But we can forge a future and correct our mistakes."

Ranma was shaking by now. He looked like he was about to cry again. Kasumi stopped things short now. She wouldn't be able to help Ranma out anymore. He would have to help himself. She could, however, stand by on the sidelines and give him support and advice.

"You can come talk to me if you ever need anything, alright Ranma?" She asked. She raised her hand to his shoulder and squeezed it, letting him know that she was there for him.

He nodded. "Thanks Kasumi, I need ta go to bed." He walked inside. His father and Soun were both playing shogi, as predictable. He strode past them up to his bedroom.

"Where do you think you're going, boy.?" Genma asked. He sounded angry for running from Akane. "You know best. You should have apologized to Akane for making her have to repair the walls.

Ranma turned to Genma and asked, "She did all of that? And why apologize if she's the one that made the hole? Why am I even talkin' ta you? You aren't gonna listen to me! Why should you when all you're gonna have ta worry 'bout in five years is the liposuction you're going to have to pay for being so fat!"

With that said, Ranma spun on his heels and ran off into his bedroom, leaving Genma and Soun to stare at the space he occupied not a minute before. "What's eating him?" Soun asked.

"Oh it's just another one of his tantrums, he'll get over it." Genma said, non-committal. He made another move on the shogi board. "Mate!" Genma exclaimed happily. Soun stared wide-eyed at the board and promptly passed out.

=&=

It had been one whole week before Ranma could gather the courage to ask Kasumi for help. When he finally did, Akane was also finally able to confront him about her harsh punishment for his so called 'folly'.

"I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry Ranma. I realized what I did was a mistake, and if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it in a heartbeat. For you." Akane finished. She stared hopefully into Ranma's eyes.

He replied, "Thanks Akane, but there's nothin' ya need ta do for me. I'm okay now. The bruise ya gave me is gone, see?" He show her the back of his head.

"Ranma…I insist." Akane fought with herself not to get angry at him. It wouldn't help to force him to accept her help.

"Well, seeing as how ya insist. I guess it couldn't hurt. As long as we leave it open until I can think of somethin'." Ranma stated. He hugged her and the two parted. Akane left to get ready for bed.

The final two downstairs were Kasumi and Ranma. "You said you needed my help, Ranma?" Kasumi asked politely. Ranma retrieved a cup from the cupboard and poured himself some water. He nodded to her question.

"Though it's hard ta talk about, I realize that it's not gonna get any better simply trying to take it on by myself. I never was good with emotions. That's why I dun like this one bit. But I know it must be done." He explained.

"Ryoga told me he wasn't gonna come back here. At first I thought he was jokin', but after I teased him he got mad at me and told me how everything that was goin' wrong in his life was all my fault.

"I got ta thinkin' 'bout what he said, an' I realized just how right he was. 'cept the bread incident, he was right in blamin' me for just about everything he had. His curse, His loneliness. I hated it, but I got jealous of him every time he got close to Akane, and I wanted ta fight him all the time cuz of it. An' I think that's why he always chose Akane's side, even when it was clearly not my fault.

"Now I regret doin' everything bad I ever did to him. Pretendin' ta be his sister once, a crush another time, and bein' a jerk every time I was 'round him. It was no wonder he got so pissed off at me.

"The only thing that kept him from killin' me was Akane. He didn't want ta break Akane's heart, and he knew he would if I was dead." Ranma sighed heavily. It was all off his chest. All his guilt was finally in the open. He felt better already.

Kasumi seemed to ponder Ranma's story over carefully. There was a lot Ranma was going through. Between Ryoga and Akane, Ranma's emotions were flying around here and there faster than a roller coaster. It was as bad as she feared it was.

"Like I said before, You can't change the past, Ranma." she began after a while. "Your friendship with Ryoga is stressed. You both have shaky pasts. Do you still want to be his friend?"

Ranma nodded numbly. He bit his lip. "We may have not have been the best friends as I'd thought two weeks ago, but we were still friends, undergoing the test of time. I would have understood if Ryoga was just moving on, but under these circumstances…"

"I understand. You don't want him moving on without letting him know that you care more about him than you let on." Kasumi finished. She poured herself some tea. "So when do you plan leaving?"

"What?" Ranma asked suddenly.

"You're going to tell Ryoga, right? So…you're going to have to leave for that." Kasumi explained. She took a sip of tea after placing the kettle back on the stove.

"I guess I could leave in a few days or so. After all, it's not as if Ryoga's gonna' go anywhere." Ranma smiled happily. Something about meeting back up with him put a smile on his face.

"Well, you're going to have to let me help you pack. After all, I can't let Akane cook your meals, now can I?" The two giggled at Kasumi's joke.

Ranma walked over to Kasumi and hugged her tightly. Kasumi was surprised, but she returned the hug. "Thank you Kasumi." For a while afterwards, they talked about random things, until they became tired. They went to their respective bedrooms and slept more peacefully than they had earlier that week.

=&=

The next day was much better. Akane and Ranma got along well together, despite Ranma being a girl half the morning. Not a single remark about the cursed form escaped Akane's lips, much to Ranma's delight.

Breakfast was served at the same time as always, and Genma and Ranma fought for their food. After breakfast, father and son sparred outside in the yard, while Kasumi observed from the sidelines.

Having returned to his male form after breakfast, Ranma was ready to spar. He was quickly beating his father, who'd gotten weak with age.

The sparring match the two were in was very intense. They exchanged punches and kicks. Somehow, Genma was keeping up with Ranma, though one could tell he was very tired.

Genma was sweating profusely. The attacks he dealt were becoming weaker as he grew weary. He still had a very tricks up his sleeve, however. And Genma's fast thinking kept Ranma on his feet.

Overall, the fight would not have lasted much longer. Genma was becoming to exhausted to pull off his attacks, and his muscles bristled with the pain Ranma had given him. If it hadn't been for the distraction Kasumi emitted from her mouth, a gasp, then Ranma would have won the match.

But seeing as how she had, Ranma was now having to suffer a loss from her father, of all people. She pulled herself out of the koi pond, but she paid no attention to anything her father said. "Boy, you shouldn't let your guard down. If I were your enemy, you'd be dead now!"

"What's wrong, Kasumi?" Ranma asked.

Kasumi watched a couple pass by their house. The unsuspecting couple went about their business, going wherever it was that they were headed, probably to the movies or something. Their presence had a profound effect on Kasumi's mood. One moment she seemed stoic, calm, and the next, she was ready to burst into tears.

She turned and hightailed it out of there, not wanting to see the couple any longer. She fled up into her bedroom, trying her best not to garner attention. She receded into her bedroom across Akane's and allowed her walls to divide away.

That was the first time Ranma saw Kasumi depressed. It was so unlike her, it seemed so unnatural. This wasn't right. Ranma dashed after her, determined to end this dream-like, depressed form of Kasumi as soon as it began.

She got as far as Kasumi's door. She knew better than to barge in to a woman's room, after suffering head injuries from the so many times he entered Akane's room without permission. She knocked on her door. "Kasumi…What happened back there?"

"It's okay Ranma…you don't have to console me."

"Kasumi… just let me do the same for you as you have me." Ranma said, leaning her back to the door. Little did she know, Kasumi's position was symmetric.

Kasumi was surprised that she would want to do something about her pain. She didn't want others to see her pain. She thought that if they had, they would lose hope, and their family would crumble under the stress. Kasumi had accepted a role of leadership, and who would the others look up to if they knew she herself was lost.

Ranma had a hunch as to why Kasumi wasn't telling her anything. Akane had told her, when she first arrived, that after their mother had died, Kasumi had taken over her position. There was a big burden that she put on herself so that the others could recover.

"You may think that bein' a leader makes it not okay to need help, but you're wrong. Everyone has ta stick together. That's what a family is all about. Let others help you too Kasumi. If not for them, then for yourself." Ranma said.

"Okay.." Kasumi mumbled. And she told her story, of how she was alone, and she wanted someone like everyone else. Ryoga had Akari, Ranma had Akane, but Kasumi had no one. It was one of her desires, to have a boyfriend whom she could love and trust, cuddle and kiss.

When she was through speaking, Ranma replied hesitantly, "I see. Kasumi, why dun we go out and get ya a boyfriend after I get back? I'm sure you'd love that. Wouldn't you?"

Kasumi smiled and opened the door. Both of them stared into each others eyes for a moment before Kasumi replied, "Yes, I would. Thank you Ranma."

"Good. Now, don't let me forget, okay Kasumi?" The two hugged each other tightly. When they parted, Kasumi said, "Yes, I won't. You have a safe trip, Ranma."

Ranma may not be quite content with her life yet, but steadily, things were getting better. She and Kasumi were closer now than they had been, and someone else's life was about to get better as well. Ranma couldn't wait to get back and help her friend out. She just had one thing she had to do first.

And as she lain on her futon that night, she thought of what to say. What could she say? It wasn't as simple as saying a sorry. She may forgive and forget easily, but Ryoga sure didn't. Ryoga wasn't going to react in the way she wanted if it came to that. Unfortunately, there was nothing else Ranma could think of. It was one of those things where you basically have to enact, rather than think about, for thinking about it might dissuade you from ever doing it in the first place.

Ranma tried desperately to figure out what to say, and so half an hour later, she fell into a fitful slumber, tossing and turning in her futon. There was one thing sure, was her last thought, that the next few days were going to be interesting.


	3. Painstaking Journey

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The end of a journey is reached only by the will and determination of the person who takes the journey. One who does not think they can make is wrong, for they are blinded by doubt. Anyone can make such a journey, but one must be prepared for it without the distraction of such doubt. Their reward will be the outcome of their journey. Whether it be failure due to yielding to the heartache and experience of the journey, or success through resolve.

* * *

****

Chapter 3: Painstaking Journey

As he went down the list, there was a knock on the door. Ranma muttered quickly, "Come in," as he continued his check list. Akane entered, checking up on him. She leaned over him, watching him as he quickly rummaged through his pack. He had already checked them off once, but he was rechecking them, looking for any item on the list he may have overlooked.

"What'cha doing?" Akane asked.

"Oh I'm lookin' over everythin' ta make sure it's there." Ranma explained as he finished his checklist. "An' it's all there." He joyfully lifted his back and slipped his arms through the black, thin sleeves of the back pack. He ran a hand through his hair and struck a pose.

Akane giggled and asked, "Are we ready yet or do I have to wait all day?" After asking Akane for a favor, Akane quickly accepted. This was her way of making it up to Ranma for what she had done. What was better yet, was that it might end the thing that made Ranma so sad in the first place. Akane was more than happy to oblige

Akane was to lead Ranma to Akari's house. Since Ranma didn't know the directions, and Akane wanted to help him, Akane was required for the journey. And Ranma figured it would kill two birds with one stone. That way Akane didn't feel the need to make anything up to him, and he made it safely to Akari's home. It all worked out for them in the end.

They stepped out onto the front porch. Kasumi, Genma, Soun, and Nabiki were there to bid them farewell and wish them luck on their journey. They bowed respectfully. A prayer to Kami-sama that they would safely reach their destination.

"Oh yeah, Ranma. Don't forget that you have to pay back all that money when you return." Nabiki said.

"Fine, I will. Just don't tack on the interest." Nabiki shook her head, smirking.

When it was time to leave, Akane and Ranma waved their hands and took their journey one step at a time. Akane led them south of Nerima. It was a long walk, but around noon, they'd finally made it outside of the city altogether.

As boredom quickly set in, Ranma decided it was best to converse with Akane to pass the time. "So, 'Kane. What's Akari's house like?"

Akane smirked as she replied, "She lives on a farm, Ranma. Why do you ask?" They came to a clearing up ahead. Their feet drummed through the leaves that were already falling to the ground. Fall was going to be around in a few weeks. It was a reminder that school was going to be back in very soon.

"oh no particular reason. I was just curious is all. What kind of farm?" Ranma asked. He was conscious of all the bugs that were around them. He swatted at the mosquitoes that tried to take a bite out of him. He didn't care how stupid he looked as he congratulated himself in defeating the mosquitoes.

Akane looked at him with a bemused expression as she tried to reply to Ranma's question with a straight face. "A pig farm. Which is kind of funny, seeing as how Ryoga is a pig sometimes…"

"Yeah you're right there." Ranma cackled. He held his stomach and wiped a tear from his eye as he showed off his white teeth.

"So…Are you still mad at Ryoga for taking advantage of you like that?"

Akane growled and clenched her hands into fists in anger. "Don't get me started on that. If I'd known that P-chan was really Ryoga this whole time, he would not have slept in my bed once. I still can't believe that Ryoga's a pervert."

After walking through another cluster of trees, the pair reached a pond. Ranma noticed how the animals around them fled in fear or kept their eyes on them, should they dare to attack. He never thought animals could be so attentive, but he guessed that was just a part of nature. If you weren't careful, you might get eaten.

Ranma didn't miss a beat, however. "Did you know he liked you?"

"Ranma, if you don't want your best friend dead come tomorrow, you better shut up." Akane snapped. With that remark, Ranma quickly shut up. There was no need to give Ryoga more reasons to hate him. And he was sure the ghost of Ryoga would come to haunt him for the rest of his life, should Akane kill him.

The next two hours passed by in silence. Finally, when Ranma could no longer take it, he declared, "I think we should rest. I'm hungry." He stopped to pull off his backpack.

Akane turned around and stammered, "but don't you want to get to Akari's farm as soon as possible?"

Ranma nodded, but he stated, "But we shouldn't carelessly move on ahead. We need to keep our strength up. If it's one thing I've learned in my travels, it's that an enemy can pop up out of nowhere." He walked over a tree to rest.

Rolling her eyes, Akane followed him over to the tree. Just as Ranma reached the tree, Ranma heard something snap. He quickly dropped his pack and pushed Akane out of the way. No sooner than they had gotten away had two logs swing down and smacked against each other with tremendous force.

Just when Ranma thought that they were out of the woods, Kunai were thrown at the from behind the bushes. If it weren't for Akane he would have been able to strike the attacks behind those bushes. But if he did that now, then Akane would be impaled.

He turned around and thrust his body weight upon her. They fell into a roll down the hill before them, into a hidden net. As they crossed the net, it raised them up high. They were trapped.

"Damn it!" Ranma cried as he shook the net furiously. His efforts were futile, however, as he did little more than spin Akane and him around in a circle.

"We shouldn't carelessly move on ahead, eh?" Akane retorted. She sent Ranma a glare to let him know that she was angry at him for letting the two fall into this trap. How was he to know there would be a trap net at the bottom of the hill?

A group of travelers removed themselves from their hiding spots and perched themselves in front of the pair. In their hands they held spears. They raised them to the couples' faces, poised to strike.

"Stand down." ordered their chieftain. The nomad leader walked casually up to meet the two captives and, with a smirk planted on his face, said, "We'll take them back to camp."

=&=

An hour after sunset, the nomad began their sacrificial ritual. Six people gathered around a fire, dancing around it like wild hyenas. In the center, encased by a great fire, was a captive they'd taken earlier that day.

On the sidelines, Akane and Ranma watched as the person suffered. The poor soul didn't have a chance. Within minutes he was engulfed in the fire, never to be seen again. It took a whole of ten minutes. Ten minutes of listening to the man suffer and scream in agony.

"How can they do this?" Akane asked, terrified. She winced every time a new bout of screaming emitted from the man.

"That's the way of these people, I think." Ranma whispered, "They're undergoing some kind of ritual. Don't worry. As soon as they cut us loose, I'm going to start taking them out. I want you to make a run for it. I'll catch up with you."

Akane nodded silently. She was shaken up by their strange customs. It was understandable when there was a great chance that you'd become one of their sacrifices to the Gods.

A couple of nomads were heading straight form them. "Okay, here they come. Get ready." Ranma mumbled. When they reached the net, one of them pulled out a knife and cut the net. As soon as the two were free, Ranma round-house-kicked the two away. "Akane run!"

She turned and sprinted as fast as she could. Some of the nomads tried to follow her, but they were cut off by Ranma. He smacked his fist into each one of them, knocking them all to the ground.

He saw the commotion towards him. They were coming in bigger numbers. Ranma may be one of the most powerful martial artists in the country, but he was not good enough to take down an entire band of travelers by himself.

He bounded for Akane. He closing in on her when they were stopped by a gushing stream of water. The current was extremely powerful; it would be too difficult to swim across. They would be washed away, to certain doom.

It was either that, or be caught by the nomads again. They were getting really close now. One had managed to catch Ranma in his clutches and pull him back. Agile as he was, Ranma kicked up into the man's face. He flipped around and leaped toward Akane. As they group of nomads reached them, they realized that they were to late. Akane and Ranma were already down the river.

Fortunately for the two, the current was faster than the wanderers could run. Unfortunately, that also meant that they would reach the waterfall that much quicker.

Ranma was desperately trying to find Akane in the fast moving water. She dunked her head, resurfaced, and gulped for air as she swam towards the form of Akane, who was helpless in the current. She grabbed a hold of her hand. There was no hope of reaching the other side before they met the waterfall. Their only hope was grabbing hold of a rock or something unmovable by the moving water.

As Ranma caught something jagged in her hand, the two came to a jerking stop. The rock was already wearing away from years of exposure. Ranma's sudden appearance had just made it disappear that much quicker. Flakes of the rock were ripping away around Ranma's hand. She was steadily losing his grip on the rock.

"Akane!" Ranma yelled over the shrill cry of moving water. They were flailed about roughly by the water; it was difficult to see Akane's face, and even harder to determine her expression. "Your only chance is for me to throw you towards the edge. You've got to swim though, as if your life depended on it."

Ranma didn't have the time to wait for an answer. The rock was ready to give, and if she didn't throw her soon, then there was a chance that neither one was going to make it out of this alive. She readied himself, pulling back her arm. She fought the current, flinging Akane into the air. As soon as she dipped back in the water, her heart froze. What if she didn't hear her? What if she couldn't fight the current to make it those final few feet?

There were a lot of questions on her mind, but all of them were answered as Akane came back up and heaved herself onto land. She was no longer in danger of falling. She glanced back to her with hopeful eyes that she too would be able to make it. Ranma gazed at the drop. It was about ten feet away. It would be close.

She attempted at pulling herself around for a better vantage point. Her idea was pushing off the rock to gain a few extra feet. It might just give her the chance to make it to the side, and then Akane and she would continue along their journey.

Her feet found purchase on the face of the rock. She curled her feet in preparation. The more distance she covered in her leap, the better. And her leap commenced…only to fall short! Ranma slipped and spun in the river. She worked hard righting herself. She was approaching the falls to quickly. At this rate, she would just miss the edge.

Adrenaline pumped through Ranma as she swam through that river. She increased her speed, changing the out come of the event. Just as her fingers slithered through a blade of soggy grass, just as she thought she was homebound, a loud sound of flesh hitting rock reverberated through Ranma's ears.

She flipped through the water, wincing as she felt the pain surging up her leg. She couldn't swim to shore. She was doomed to plunge down into the abyss. She was so close and yet so far. She held her hands up, desperate to catch the ground. Instead, she caught something else.

Opening her eyes, she found that she had caught Akane's hand, or, to be more precise, Akane had snagged hers. Akane's face stressed; she clenched her eyes shut, gripped Ranma's hand with both hands as tight as she could. They were white from the tense pressure put on them. She dragged her feet, slowly pulling Ranma out of the river.

The two were lucky. They had nearly been sacrificed, and then, not ten minutes later, nearly fallen to their deaths. Boy, what a night this was turning out to be.

The nomads were on the other side of the river, shouting at the top of their lungs. They all wore the same angry faces. But no matter what they were saying, it would not change the fact that their sacrifices had escaped. Battered and bruised were they, but none-the-less, they were safe away from the nomads.

A shrill war cry erupted from the chieftain's mouth. The other nomads stopped their bickering and turned to him, who looked determinedly at Ranma. A cold chill ran down Ranma's spine, his glare penetrating her defenses. She may have just made another enemy on this ludicrous journey.

"Come on." Ranma said, "Let's go."

Akane helped her up, but Ranma lost her balance and descended once again. Her leg was aching in protest. "I think I broke my leg." Ranma whimpered. She held it close to her chest. It was difficult to move.

"One more thing to worry about on the journey." Akane murmured.

"It can't be helped. Akane, you're going to have to help me walk." Ranma said. Akane nodded reluctantly. Together, they strode off under the dark sky.

=&=

It took two more days before they found a town. Of course, they could have gotten to Akari's in that time, but the need to fix Ranma's leg was much more important. Every step he took pained him a little.

There was also the case of the missing backpack, which contained meals for Ranma and Akane. So in those two days time, their only source of nutrition came from the river near them.

The river. It's ironic that the very same river that almost killed them two days ago saved their lives. It was much calmer down here than up on the mountain, but it had taken quite a walk to get there. That was one of the most painful experiences in his life. One leg was broken, and the other ached from the stress of Ranma's weight on it.

It was two days later, and his leg was beginning to go numb. The one he walked on, of course. The broken leg still jolted with pain with every jerk Ranma made. It wasn't the only thing that was aching from Ranma's unbalanced movements.

"I can't take this much longer, I'm glad we've made it to a town. My shoulder's are killing me." Akane whined. She kept herself slumped, acting as Ranma's support, and took small steps so as not to cause Ranma to much more pain. They often had to take breaks, which is why it took them so long to make it to town.

The townspeople were a little more inviting than the nomads had been. They collected Ranma in a hammock and carried him off to the hospital. It was there that his leg was bandaged. With the makeshift cast in place, one doctor said, "it would be best if you laid off your leg for at least a couple of weeks, if not months."

By the time Ranma had his leg in a cast and the bill paid off, Akane had returned with a bountiful array of food in a basket. Ranma seized a pair of crutches that had been given to him by the local doctors, and he limped over to Akane. As his hand neared the basket, it was smacked away by Akane's. "Ow, what was that for?" Ranma sniped.

"We're going to save this for later." Akane said, her grip tightening around the basket. "On my way here, I saw a restaurant. We should fill up over there."

She lead them to the restaurant, where they sat down, ordered, and later ate plentifully. "This is really great, Akane! I think we finally caught a break since we started this damned journey." He said as he placed another bite into his mouth. As he began to second-guess himself, he looked around the room in both directions. Satisfied that nothing was going to happen, he turned back to Akane and gave her a cheeky smile.

She growled lowly at him. "I'm the one that's leading you on this accursed trip. You should be grateful that I'm even here." She murmured back as she struck her food and bit into it with a foul distaste.

"What's eatin' you, 'Kane?" Ranma asked. He frowned as she glared at him accusingly.

"First we were attacked by nomads, almost sacrificed to some God that they believe exists, almost drowned in a river, and then I had to carry you on my shoulder for two whole days! Who wouldn't be at least a little stressed?" Akane screamed. Ranma could almost see the steam emanating from her ears.

"Believe me, if I had any control over that, I wouldn't have allowed any of that to happen." Ranma rebuked. He gave her a stern look that told her he wasn't all that happy about the past events either.

While the two were arguing back and forth, they didn't notice the two men garbed in full black suits accompanied with a bow tie and dark sun glasses approach them. They exchanged affirmative nods with each other before jumping the boy and girl.

Surprised by the sudden and unexpected attack, Ranma kicked the chair out from under him, which then knocked into one of the assailants. Ranma plummeted, scooping up his crutches with his good leg, gripping them with his good hand, and striking the remaining attacker.

Even while handicapped, Ranma was still an excellent fighter. These men stood no chance against him as Ranma smacked them down with his crutches every time they recovered. They quickly garnered bruises from Ranma's well executed attacks.

Seeing their imminent defeat at hand, they turned and fled the scene. Ranma watched their retreating forms as he wiped the sweat from his brow. They ran out the front doors.

Ranma surveyed the immediate area. The restaurant was a mess. Tables were turned lop-sided, plates smashed into tiny pieces on the floor, and food was displayed everywhere. Realizing that he was going to have to pay for all of this damage, he chucked half-heartedly and stated, "I think I went a little overboard."

"You think?" Akane asked.

=&=

The remainder of their journey continued on without much event. Ranma couldn't get the fight out of his mind. Who were those people? They seemed like professionals of some kind of organization.

"He, 'Kane? Who do you think those people were?"

"I dunno. But I know they weren't exactly there for a friendly chat. It seems that our peace in Nerima, in Japan, is about to end." Akane replied worriedly.

Ranma knew exactly what she meant. There might be another epic battle waiting around the corner. He didn't enjoy thinking about that prospect. People nearly the last time. This might be different for everyone.

The two could now see Akari's farm house in plain sight. Their journey was coming to a close. Ranma wished so much that he could bound for the farm and surprise Ryoga with a bear hug.

The reality, however, was far different than Ranma's dream. When they reached those front door steps, they were met by the startled look of Ryoga.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ranma?"

* * *

Author's Note: I didn't want to go to far into the plot here. I wanted it to be mainly about the journey to the farmhouse, so I apologize if it's too short. If any reason why it's short, it's for that reason. Anywho, if you guys are wondering about Akari and Akane being cousin's and stuff, I don't think they are in the anime, but I made them cousins in this story for the sake of the story. Cheers. =D


	4. Heartache and Pain

Tahnk you all who have reviewed, and thank you for your positive criticism as well. I appreciate it a lot. I hope to continue receiving the criticism, and it sounds like this story has potential. It has inspired me to work harder to make it better. I do have one reviewer that I must address, however.

I'd like to thank FantomoDrako for her reviews. I already felt that chapter three needed brushing up on, and this is proof. I will repost the chapter at a later date, after more about the mysterious agents that attacked Ranma has been discovered. I will also do some minor corrections on the previous chapters to better it's grammar, punctuation, that sort of stuff. I would like to say, though, that you don't have to point out every mistake if you don't want to. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but with just one example, it makes me aware that there is a need for a revision, and as a writer in training, it's my job to revise. ;)

Now, for your wonderful reviews, at the end of the chapter, I will have a treat for you. =D Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 4: Heartache and Pain**

The three stood there for a long while. None of them said a word. Ranma was utterly speechless as he unsuccessfully tried to apologize and make amends for what he has done.

After a while, Ryoga turned around and muttered, "leave. You're not welcome here." He was about to close the door when Akane shoved her hand in the way.

"We came all the way out here for you. The least you can do is listen to what we have to say." Akane shouted. She sent a glare at Ryoga.

"Oh yeah? And what is it that Ranma's got to say that's so important to come all the way out here for? Because if he's come out here to apologize, I'm not accepting it." Ryoga quipped. He seemed un-phased by Akane's death glare.

"You don't have to," mumbled Ranma, "But I was gonna 'pologize to ya anyway cuz it's the right thing ta do." Ranma faintly heard Ryoga murmur 'What do you know about the right thing to do?' as he turned around and gave them leeway into the house.

"Come in," he beckoned.

From inside the house, Akari listened intently. At hearing the arrival of the two friendly visitors, she prepared tea for everyone. When they entered, she greeted them with a smile on her face.

"Why hello, Akane and Ranma. How do you do?" She poured the tea into teacups and handed them to the guests. "What brings you here?" She feigned ignorance. She didn't want to let anyone know she had been listening in on their conversation.

"Oh, nothing' much 'Kari. I just came ta try ta be a better friend ta Ryoga's all." Ranma stated. He allowed a frown to settle on his face. He didn't understand why he felt bad at the prospect of Ryoga going away forever.

From the other side of the room, Ryoga ground his teeth together in annoyance. Ranma just didn't know when to butt out of his life!

"Well, you're always welcome here at the farmhouse." Akari replied, still smiling. She clasped her hands together and giggled happily.

"No, he's not." Ryoga grumbled. Akari flinched at Ryoga's harsh response, he attention immediately on him. He pushed himself up from his seat and exclaimed, "Why should he be when he ruined my life!"

"Ryoga, that's no way to treat a guess, much less a friend." Akari replied alarmingly.

As Ryoga pointed to Ranma, he cried, "He is no friend!" Ryoga stomped out of the room, his husky voice crying out in agitation.

Seconds later, another figure entered the room. "Pop!" Akari cried out.

The old man rubbed his five o'clock shadow and replied worriedly, "What's his problem?"

"He's havin' a hard time forgivin' me." Ranma explained to Akari's granddad. "I had been the cause of much of his suffering, but I wanna take away the pain I've caused him."

"Well, ya can't do that here, now can ya, ole' chap. Get on up there and make up to yur friend. We're not goin' anywhere."

Ranma nodded hesitantly and followed Ryoga up to the guest room of the farm house. He climbed a flight of stairs. Greeting him from the second floor was a short hallway leading to three bedrooms. He assumed one was for each of the occupants of the household. Ranma chose the close one on the far end of the hall way.

He knocked on the door lightly and declared loud enough for Ryoga to hear, "I'm coming in Ryoga."

As he opened the door his neck was nearly cut in two by an oncoming polka-dotted bandana, courtesy of Ryoga. Ranma had narrowly dodged the forth-coming object by ducking. Ranma had no time to voice his objections to the attack as Ryoga rushed into battle against him.

Ranma blocked the oncoming strike. Ryoga kneed him in the stomach, causing Ranma to recoil. He fell two his knees. But Ryoga didn't stop there. He roundhouse kicking Ranma in his side. Ranma had barely managed to put his left arm in defense before he was smacked away by the intruding leg. He fell into a roll, but he quickly recovered, rolling over his shoulder and onto his feet.

"I told you that you weren't welcome here Ranma. You best leave." Ryoga growled. He closed in on Ranma again, but Ranma wasn't going to give him the chance to strike again. Ranma pushed off of the ground towards Ryoga, twirling in midair. He made a precise strike into Ryoga's cheek with his fist. He then kicked the other side of Ryoga and shot him into a bookshelf on the other side of the room.

The bookshelf shuddered and tipped over. Ranma gasped and leaped towards Ryoga, arms stretched out before him. His momentum pushed the two of them to safety. All movement suddenly stopped, as dust lifted into the air, and then settled back down just as quickly.

Ranma had his head buried in Ryoga's chest; he was breathing heavily as the excitement in his system died down. He glanced up into Ryoga's eyes and asked, "Are you alright. I was scared you were going to get hurt."

Ryoga was shocked beyond belief. "Y-you saved me? But why?" Ryoga stammered as he forced himself up. Ranma pushed himself off and balanced himself with his crutches. It was amazing that he had been able to survive so long into the fight in his condition, with as tough opponent as Ryoga.

"It's what I've been tryin' ta tell ya all along, Ryo. I care about ya. I wanna make it up to ya for all the things I ever done for you. I want us ta be friends again. Can't you see the truth in my eyes?" Ranma said. He looked Ryoga straight in the eyes. Ryoga saw loneliness, hurt, and desperation in those eyes.

"I can't believe this. It's just…How can I possibly forgive you for what you've done? Who should I blame, then, if not you?" Ryoga responded confusedly. A headache was beginning to form in the recess of his brain as he flipped the possibilities over in his mind.

"I don't want you to blame anyone, Ryo…" Ranma said sadly. There were tears forming in his eyes, but he fought them down. "I don't want you to leave forever. I want to be your friend. I want us to stay in contact."

Ryoga mulled it over in his mind for a while before coming to a conclusion. His heart wasn't ever going to be satisfied unless they amended their friendship. It had been a difficult decision to make, but Ryoga had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that things would be better if he gave Ranma another chance.

"If you truly want to be my friend," Ryoga began, "Then you will help me clean up the mess we've made, and you will give me time to think this whole thing over. Just don't pester me about it anymore right now."

"Alright." Ranma responded. His eyes glistened over with happiness, his mood having been elevated so much by the simple statement, for Ranma felt that if he had a friend whom he could talk to through all this mess, then whenever something bad happened in his life, Ryoga would be there for him.

Ranma had never had anyone who had been through as much as he had. He had always felt alone, and every single time, it seemed like, he would have to deal with everything on his own. Especially when it came to his fiancée or his pop. No one ever seemed to understand him, but Ryoga was different. He was the closest person to Ranma to understanding him, and he would ultimately be an unchanging factor in Ranma's life that he could hold onto when the going got tough.

Lunchtime came and went quickly. The two boys took a break for their lunch, brought up by Akari and Akane. Of course, the two had to explain what had happened, for they were startled by the humungous mess they had created. Surprisingly enough, Akane did not spout curses towards Ranma that day.

Afterwards, they continued their work. They had picked up the bookshelf and placed all the books neatly on the shelves. They patched up a few holes that had been created from abusive force with tough material. It wouldn't last forever, but it would hold for a while until Ryoga had the time to replace the hardwood of the guestroom.

It wasn't long before they had completed entirely. Ranma wiped his brow of sweat as he relaxed on Ryoga's bed. "That was fulfilling. And difficult." He said as he placed his crutches nearby. "You know how hard it is to do some of that stuff with a broken leg?"

"I can imagine," Ryoga replied, reflecting on earlier that day. They dropped into a comfortable silence. Both were relaxed on the bed, their minds veering off on two similar paths, but from different perspectives.

'Will he forgive me?' Ranma asked himself, 'I will be a faithful from now on if he does. Oh, I hope he does!' While Ryoga thought, 'Can I trust him? If I forgive him, he better not make me regret it, or I'll kill him.'

Though their thoughts never died, and their worries of the future never ceased, they remained tied down to their choices. Choices that had been made from their hearts, rather than their minds, like the norm.

Ryoga sighed. It was like coming out of a trance; he opened his eyes and calmly stated, "If I forgive you Ranma, will you promise never to hurt me or abandon me again?"

Ranma's heart pained at the thought of abandoning Ryoga. "I won't. I won't ever hurt you…or abandon you again. I promise." He sent a look of determination to Ryoga, showing him that he had meant every word of his statement.

Ryoga looked aback for a second before registering the words completely. He gave Ranma a small smile and said, "I forgive you Ranma."

Immediately Ranma jumped him in a hug and cried out happily. A wide smile was plastered onto his face. He squeezed as hard as he could and chuckled lightly. Ryoga hesitantly hugged Ranma back. He mumbled, "Ranma, you're choking me…"

"Oh, sorry." Ranma said, and he backed away. "I was just so happy to hear you forgive me." He was beaming happily.

'Do I really mean that much to him? After all this time, I thought he didn't care about me at all…' Ryoga's thought lingered for a while after.

=&=

"So you guys have made up?" Akane asked.

They were situated in Akari's living room. The room gave off the look of an old western style room, which was quite appealing in Akane's opinion. She sat across from Ranma and Ryoga and next to Akari. Akari's granddad was out shopping for groceries at the moment.

"Yup!" Ranma declared joyfully. Another scream later, and the couples found themselves at the front door.

"Well I guess this is goodbye for now." Akari said. The others nodded in agreement. "But we'll come again real soon." Akane replied.

They exchanged goodbyes and Akane and Ranma departed. Now that the emotional event has transpired, Ranma's mind was back on his leg and the crutches he used to get around. He silently cursed his bad luck from back then.

They were walking along when they saw something happen in the distance. Silhouettes barged into the farmhouse they had just came from. The two watched the farmhouse, seeing Akari being dragged off, followed by a more resilient Ryoga.

Ranma gasped as he hurried to the scene. Seconds felt like hours as Ranma barged in on their little parade and smacked one man with his crutches. Ranma widened his eyes when he saw the slumped figure, recognizing him to be one of the assailants from the restaurant.

"What are these guys doing here?" Ranma thought aloud. Two more suited men jumped him without warning. From the ground, Ranma pushed his way out of the fray of the attack and delivered two quick blows on one of the two men.

When the second recovered, he reinitiated contact with Ranma, exchanging blow for blow. Ranma fell back onto his back, cursing audibly. He rolled away from the man, who continued to stomp at Ranma until he was whacked in the back of the head by a sturdy umbrella.

"Needed some help?" Ryoga asked.

"Thank you." Jumping up, Ranma stood with his back to Ryoga. "We can take'em, can't we, Ryo?" About ten of them were standing around the two in a small circle.

"We sure can." Ryoga replied as they began their journey to the martial artists. Ryoga dealt a punch to one man, smacked another with his umbrella, and kicked a third to the ground.

Ranma struck hundreds of chest nut fists into at least four men, before getting struck himself. He fell to the ground, and he struggled to avoid getting hurt even more as his fifth opponent continued the assault.

Ryoga turned around just in time to land a devastating blow into the assailant's jaw. He recoiled and plummeted to the ground, unconscious. Victorious Ryoga smirked as he turned around and made to strike at another foe.

Ranma saw an oncoming attack against Ryoga. Thinking quickly, Ranma tripped him up with one crutch and stabbed at him with the other. The man went sailing back into a grove of bushes. Ranma felt relieved as he rolled to his stomach and pushed himself up again, just in time to be stomped to the ground by another pursuer.

Ryoga spun around on his heels and dropped his mouth, as if feeling Ranma's pain. Before he could react, however, he was knocked unconscious by soaring boulder. Apparently the enemy's ace in the hole had just come out to play, and that ace in the hole happened to be a gigantic, muscular man, clothed in nothing but trousers.

Alert, Ranma slapped at the man on top of him and hopped onto his foot and crutches. The others seemed to have backed away, allowing the monstrosity to close in on the martial artists. Ranma quickly dove away from an oncoming boulder. He felt confident he could win…That is until one of the enemies returned with a bucket of cold water, splashing it over Ranma.

Crying, Ranma whacked the man down and steadied herself for the monster's next attack. It leaped over to her, and, in one final swoop, and nearly thrashed her against the farm house. Thankfully, Ranma had been quicker than he had.

Ranma poised herself, and thrashed out at her opponent. The big man, standing at about seven feet tall, was almost completely unaffected by Ranma's barrage of attacks. There was absolutely no chance of her overwhelming this man with her attacks.

The guy knocked the breath out of her when he slammed her into the side of the house. She descended to the ground quickly. Her energy had been drained nearly completely when the creature readied himself for the final blow.

Just as he was about to kill poor Ranma, he was rammed onto the ground by the shoulder of Ryoga. "You okay?" Ryoga asked as he returned.

"Don't worry 'bout me. I'll be fine. You've got to defeat that guy over there. Or at least wear him down some while I recover." Ranma ordered. Ryoga seemed to sense the anxiety in Ranma's voice.

He turned to the giant, whom began a stampede towards the martial artists. Ryoga could feel the ground beneath him shake as the monster neared. "Shishi Hokoudan!" Ryoga cried out, holding the palms of his hands together. A blast soared straight into the belly of the monster. The enemy wailed out in pain and plummeted.

Ryoga gave him no respite as he whipped out his umbrella and whacked him in the side, breaking the enemy's arm. Even with a broken arm, the opponent didn't slow down as he twisted his body and tripped Ryoga, who fell into a roll and jumped back up in time to avoid the enemy's fist. It had dug into the ground and caused a powerful tremor in the Earth.

When Ryoga plopped back down on the ground, he immediately fell into a defense. The enemy had righted himself and was well on his way to deliver Ryoga another blow.

While Ryoga attended to the beast, Akane broke free from her bind, and she was now cleaning up the remaining soldiers, having trailed behind Ranma once she figured out that there would be a battle. She used everything she had been taught in the school of anything goes. She even implemented tricks of her own, swooping down low and flipping a man with her arm and driving her elbow into his stomach as he fell behind her.

It wasn't long before she reached the main conglomerate of organization members. Fresh fighters ran ahead of their comrades to greet Akane in the midst of battle. Other organization members hurried to throw their last remaining hostage in the back of a van. One started the engine of the vehicle while others boarded the van.

Akane cried out to Akari as she smacked her fists into her opponents. She struggled to reach the van as more fighters joined her. She struggled with them, and though their numbers dwindled, they were more than enough to tie Akane down while the van drove off.

Akane screamed for Akari once more. Ranma and Ryoga gave the retreating van attention, noticing the captive inside the back as the doors closed. One thought traveled through their minds. 'They've captured Akari!'

However much they wanted to catch up to that van, neither their bodies nor their opponent before them would allow them to catch up. Frustration mounted inside of them as they wallowed in their defeat. They couldn't let the notion of Akari's kidnapping to rest in their minds for very long, however, as the giant was back on the attack.

Ryoga side-stepped the man as if he were a bull and stabbed him with his umbrella. At the same time Ranma gathered her chi energy together and cried out, "Moko Takabishi!"

The monster fell back to the ground. He looked as if he were ready to give out at any time. Still, he regained his posture and spun around, slamming his good fist into Ryoga. Ryoga buckled under their opponent's force, falling back against the farmhouse.

The enemy had no time to continue his attack as he was smacked into the air by Akane's mallet. With the chime of a high-pitched bell, it was signaled that the giant had been blasted off to who knows where.

"Is everyone okay?" Akane asked. When she received disgruntled nods, she assumed their dissatisfaction came from knowing that they had failed in saving Akari from the clutches of the enemy.

"They were the same people who attacked us the other day, 'Kane." Ranma pointed out.

Akane replied, "I know. The only question is why did they attack Akari and Ryoga? And who are they?"

"Whoever they are," Ryoga voiced, "They're going to pay for taking my Akari." He pulled himself off the ground and limped in the house. Not knowing what else to do, Ranma and Akane followed him inside.

From inside the house, Ryoga made himself a drink to cool off and get his mind straight. Ranma and Akane did the same.

Ryoga ran a hand through his hair as he pondered over what he should do. "We don't know who they are." Ryoga assessed, "And we don't know where they plan to take Akari. Add on to the fact that their motive for taking her is unknown as well. We have faces, but no names to place them, and they seemed to know enough about us to formulate a strategy against us like that. With so little information about them, it'll be more difficult to bring them down."

"Which is why we need ta find out more about them and why they're going through all the trouble of kidnappin' Akari." Ranma added. Akane nodded approvingly.

"Well, there's only one way to find out at this point." Ryoga said as he walked over to the window. "And what would that be?" Ranma asked curiously.

"We interrogate one of them."

Ranma made her way over to Ryoga. Next to him, she said, "I know you're feeling pain and heartache right now Ryoga. I'm going to help you in any way I can to get Akari back for you."

Turning to Ranma with a shocked expression, Ryoga replied, "Thank you, Ranma. That means a lot to me…You're awfully kind to me as of late."

Ranma smirked at Ryoga and said, "I'm just helpin' out an old friend."

* * *

chill: The end of another great chapter!

Ranma: What do ya mean?! 'Kari got kidnapped! :'(

chill: uhm...

Ryoga: ...

Ranma: Oh no, don't you dare Ryoga...Don't get all depressed now!

Ryoga: SHISHI HOKUODAN!!!

chill: I gotta cut this short, folks. -runs away from impending doom-

Ranma: Now look what ya did, you ran off the author.

Ryoga: Now I'll never get her back! T_T

Ranma: There, there Ryoga-chan...You'll get her back when the author comes back, I'm sure of it! Stay tuned, everyone, the author will return next Monday!


	5. Mounting Problems

Well, I finally got it to stop duplicating itself, but now it seemed that it's started to be uploading strangely; the paragraphs came up out of order! Anyways, I corrected the ones that seemed to be out of order, but if you see a paragraph that doesn't fit or there is a lack of a paragraph, let me know so I can reupload this chapter.

Another thing I must say before we begin the chapter. I know I didn't upload the chapter as I promised on Monday, but with mid-term exams and all, I was beat last night. However, I'm roaring to go, now! =D

We're coming close to the end of section 1 of the story. All those corrections/problems you guys have brought up over the course of the chapters shall be corrected and uploaded this weekend. Ch. 3 in particular will be revised. I'm not sure how long I will want to make section 2, or how long it will take for me to finish it, but I will begin once I'm completely done with section 1 and whatnot. It might take up to a month at the most, if something doesn't get in the way. Well, anyways, chow!

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****

Chapter 5: Mounting Problems

They had tied down every single one of the organization members left behind. All in all, there were fifteen downed soldiers. Ranma hoped that this had been the majority of the organization, but she had a sneaky suspicion there were many more where that came from.

"What do you want to do with them?" she asked Ryoga, who contemplated on the course of action they should take. She gazed at him as his stern look grazed the unconscious bodies below.

"I think we should take on inside, wake him up, and interrogate him. Once we're finished, we should call the cops and have them send them to jail. That's the easiest way to take care of them, in my opinion, with as many of them as there are." Ryoga explained.

Ryoga picked one out of the crowd, pulled him up and took him inside, blind-folded him with one of his extra polka-dotted bandanas, and struck him in the side of the head. He was jerked awake by the blow, and as his senses came back to him, his groggy mind had told him he was tied down and blind-folded. The fool grew just a tiny bit anxious as he awaited for what would come next.

"Hello." Ryoga said in an unusually low voice. "Currently you and fourteen of your friends are tied down. If you comply with my orders and answer my questions honestly, I'll let you and your friends go."

From behind Ryoga, Ranma and Akane watched in awe. Since when did Ryoga know how to interrogate someone?

"But every time you lie, I'll kill one of your friends. If you don't comply, I'll hurt you." Ryoga was really good at lying. It was almost as if he wasn't lying at all.

The man before them didn't know what to make of the situation. It was apparent that every one of Ryoga's words were getting to him, by his expression. "Before we begin. Do you have any comments?"

When the man didn't respond, Ryoga took it as a sign of no comment. He then began. "Alright. I have a few questions for you. First what was the objective of kidnapping the girl named Akari."

Still frightened from Ryoga's not so subtle threat, the man almost immediately divulged the information. "We wanted to make her bait."

"What for," Ryoga rebuked. The man took a little longer to reply this time. The anxiety levels were dropping. Ryoga knew he only had so much time before the man would refrain from relinquishing any information what-so-ever. But he tried not to think of what he would have to stoop to in order to make this man talk.

"She was supposed to be bait to get Ranma to follow us." The man responded, trying to give up as little information as possible in the hopes that his comrades would come and save him. Alas, that did not occur.

"And what were you guys going to do to him once he came to you?" Ryoga asked. He was curious about their overall plans, but he knew he shouldn't have delved too deeply on the topic. It didn't matter as long as he knew a way to save Akari from the evil clutches of the enemy.

"I don't know that answer." the guy answered monotonously.

"That's alright." Ryoga replied, "I didn't need to know the answer to that anyways. I already knew your plans from the start." Ryoga had recovered quite nicely. This would surely throw the hostage in a loop.

"What I'm more interested in is the location of your headquarters. Where can we find Akari?" Ryoga asked.

"We don't know where headquarters is. We only know where the drop off point for the hostage. From there the hostage will be taken to a remote location where only select few know."

'Well, isn't that dandy', Ryoga thought. They only had a certain amount of time to react or they wouldn't ever see Akari again. 'Just how far into this did they plan?'

"Tell me the location Akari is headed to now." Ryoga ordered. He growled a little bit, reminding him that he would back up his threat if he had to.

"I can't tell you that. Each of us were given one digit to the address to prevent anyone from finding out the location of the drop off point if we were to be captured. All I know is one digit and that that is one digit out of twenty-two." The man explained calmly.

"If you guys are being held hostage, then how the hell are your friends supposed to manage getting to the drop off point?" Ryoga asked, growing more concerned by the minute.

"In the event that a few of our men were captured, the driver himself had been given instructions to travel to another point, where he would meet up with a person who knew the entire address."

Ryoga rubbed his temples. It was really getting on his nerves how far they thought into this plan. There wasn't any way of finding their headquarters or the final destination point of Akari. It seemed as if all hope was lost.

"I have no further questions." Ryoga said. He took the man from his chair, threw him into the pile of organization members, and returned to Ranma and Akane.

"I don't know where to go next." Ryoga said, "With no place to go, I might as well go back to Nerima with you and hope we find some clues within the next few days."

"Sorry Ryoga." Ranma said. "I wish I could help you." Ryoga smiled at that. It reminded him how much Ranma had changed. He had changed so much. Right now, Ranma's kindness affected Ryoga greatly. He got slightly nervous around her because Ranma was currently a girl.

"Hey…uh…Ranma, did you know that…?" Ryoga drawled on. Ranma nodded as she replied, "I don't feel like changing back right now though. So, what do ya say we head on back to Nerima? I'm sure we'll be contacted from them. If they didn't want us comin' to them, then they musta wanted to come to us. So we can be prepared for when they do."

"You're right." Ryoga stated, but he felt at the deep recess of his brain that that was terribly, terribly wrong.

=&=

The trip back to Nerima was eventless. However, as soon as they reached Nerima, the craziest things happened. First off all, Kuno had come barging out of nowhere, this time attacking Ryoga for 'harming' his princess. Not even a minute after Kuno was out of the way did Kodachi come around the corner and attack Ranma for stealing her boyfriend away from her. With Ranma being bound by a handicap, Ryoga was subjected to protecting her body twice in less than two minutes.

Luckily they had reached the Tendo household before long, and they were greeted by Kasumi Tendo. "Hello Ranma and Akane. How did everything go? And what happened to your leg?" Kasumi glanced down and stared at Ranma's cast with a worried look.

Ranma shook her head. "We got there and these strange men in black came and kidnapped Akari. Now we're here in hopes that we'll be contacted by her kidnappers."

Kasumi frowned and said, "Oh my. I hope Akari is alright." From behind Kasumi appeared Nabiki with an expressionless face. She stated, "I have some friends in high places. If I can't figure out where they're taking Akari, then nobody can."

"Really?" Ryoga asked, "I thank you so much! Akari means everything to me." He beamed a smile at Nabiki and pumped his fist into the air.

"As ta answer your other question, Kasumi, I broke it while escaping nomads of the land. They were tryin' ta sacrifice us ta the Gods above." Ranma explained. Akane nodded in testimony to the event.

"They were insane!" Akane screamed.

All of them walked inside and gathered around the dining room table, where Kasumi had dinner prepared for everyone. Genma and Soun were already found there, garbling down some meat. They sat down around the table and followed in suit.

Kasumi's cooking was exceptional as always. Ranma took in delight of consuming one of Kasumi's excellent meals, and she uncharacteristically ate at a slow pace. This surprised Akane, who expected Ranma to jump in on the battle of eating the most.

"You're eating unusually slow today Ranma. Is there anything the matter?" Akane asked, growing suspicious of Ranma.

Ranma giggled and replied, "While I'm in girl-form, I must express the manners every girl is expected to have." She took another small bite of her meal. "Kasumi's the one who taught me about manners." At that, Kasumi smiled brightly.

Akane looked exasperated at Ranma. With a snarl, she declared, "But you're not a girl, Ranma! You will never be a girl, so why are you even trying to have the manners of one?"

The dinner table shook as Akane slapped it with the palm of her hand. The entire family stopped in their miniature banquet to take a glimpse over at Akane, who was by now glaring at Ranma.

Ranma snapped, "Nothin' I ever do fer you is good enough is it?!" She ran out of the room and didn't return. Akane let out an exasperated cry and tangled her hands in her hair as she stomped out into the kitchen, the opposite direction of Ranma.

Ryoga looked both ways and with a confused look followed Ranma. He turned back to the Tendo family and said, "I'm going to check up on Ranma."

=&=

The sunset was quite pleasing to watch from atop the roof of the house of the Tendo family. To Ranma, it looked as if the setting sun felt the same as him at that very moment. Forlorn, the sun sank into the sky, away from viewing eyes. Ranma felt like that's what she should do at that very moment.

She was resting her chin on her hands. She sighed sadly and reflected back to the dinner table. Why had Akane gotten so angry at her for minding her manners? It didn't make any sense to Ranma. Akane had always complained when she wasn't, and now she was even when Ranma did!

Ranma grew frustrated. She closed her eyes and tried to will the images from her mind. She didn't want to think about the problems in her relationship again. She knew that was the wrong thing to do, but it wasn't as if she had a choice. Genma would throw a fit if she broke up with Akane so suddenly.

She could hear someone pulling their way up onto the roof, but she didn't know who it was. That is, until Ranma heard his voice. "Ranma, are you alright?"

Ryoga sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Ranma sighed and murmured, "I want so badly to end the relationship between me and Akane, Ryoga…I'm tired of her doing this to me…"

Giving her bemused look, Ryoga replied, "That's just how all women are though, Ranma. They always want you to do one thing, and then when you do it they say they mean the other thing. It's just something you have to live with."

"It's not just about this, though, Ryoga! I could deal with it if it was just that." Ranma said. "Every time I am a girl she gives me disgusting looks. Especially when I do something that's considered feminine. She won't even let me kiss her while I'm in girl form."

Ryoga could feel the pain inside of Ranma. He knew exactly how she felt at that moment and he embraced her. Ranma was surprised at first when Ryoga's arms tightened around her. At that moment, however, Ranma felt protected, and she allowed herself to cry into his shoulder.

"Shhh…Ranma. It's okay. You don't have to put up with this." Ryoga said.

Ranma asked hopefully, "Really?"

"Yes. You don't have to listen to Akane or your dad if you don't want to. Just follow your heart." Ryoga whispered into Ranma's ear. He ran his hand down Ranma's back comfortingly, calming her down.

Ranma giggled and said, "Thank you Ryoga…" She looked up at him and smiled. He blushed slightly at the closeness of their faces, but he didn't look away. "As soon as we find Akari, I'm going ta break up with Akane."

Smirking, Ryoga responded, "You seem quite certain of what you want in life."

"Yup!" Ranma exclaimed, "I have decided. I'm only going to live for myself right now! If a person doesn't like me for me, then they don't deserve to have me!" She closed her eyes and gave Ryoga a cheeky smile.

Ryoga, unexpectedly to the both of them, placed his hand on her cheek and mumbled, "You're so cute…"

Ranma opened her eyes, blushing deeply at Ryoga's statement. She looked away and backed up slightly, "Ahem…" She suddenly felt very nervous around Ryoga. Her heart beat slightly quicker around him.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." Ranma replied almost immediately. She wondered to herself why she suddenly wanted Ryoga to kiss her. She forced the rushing thoughts to the back of her mind and willed herself to control her emotions.

"We should get back down to the others before they start to worry." Ryoga said. Ranma agreed.

=&=

It had been a few days since Akari had been kidnapped. Ryoga spent all his days at the Tendo house, waiting for news of her aware bouts.

He watched Genma and Soun play a few games of shogi every now and then, but for the most part, he was bored throughout the day. Slightly less, Kasumi asked him to do a few errands for her or help her out with chores around the house, but even that work had been minimal, and it left Ryoga bored out of his mind.

Finally, about a week after her kidnapping, the news came in. The conversation started with Nabiki calling Ranma, Ryoga, and Akane, the people most involved with the situation, out into the dojo, away from suspecting eavesdroppers.

"It's taken me a bit of time to gather valuable information on your kidnappers. They are very secretive." Nabiki explained.

"That much we already know." Ryoga commented, "they went through a lot of trouble to make sure we couldn't intercept them."

"Right. Well, a source was leaked recently about a growing organization. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but from the details of their uniform, I suspect that these are our guys. Their lackeys wear a black suit with a red tie. It's customary that they cover their eyes with dark sunglasses."

"That's them alright." Ranma pointed out, recognizing some pictures Nabiki revealed. Akane motioned for Nabiki to continue.

"I don't know much else though, other than they are trying to jumpstart a chain reaction to take over Japan. The government is high on their tails, which explains why they have to be so secretive. One mess up, and their entire plan is ruined.

"From what I gather Ranma is their main concern. He seems to be the key to accomplish their goals. But that's just my own analysis." Nabiki's voice died out as she thought about what to say next. "In the end, though, they ultimately will come to you, Ranma. It may be an encrypted message or direct contact, but it would be the only way for them to accomplish their goals."

Ranma nodded and replied, "And when that time comes, Ryoga and I will stop them."

Ryoga smirked. He felt a little more confident. They wouldn't hurt Akari because they would need her in order to draw Ranma and him in. If they were to, and Ryoga hated to think about this, kill her, then they wouldn't have a hostage to use for ransom. It would make things much more difficult for them. Ranma and him could even think come up with a plan to ruin theirs at that point. With Akari in the picture, Ranma and Ryoga would have to come up with things on the spot, which wasn't that bad, but it wasn't the best choice of action for a good strategy.

With one worry out of Ryoga's mind, he could easily put himself in the now and here moment. And he would be able to wait for their next move.

=&=

Ryoga stayed at their house for another week, awaiting patiently for the organization to contact them. He and Ranma sparred every day for hours on end.

In one particular sparring session, their battling was intense. Ranma and Ryoga were sweating profusely. Ranma had just jumped away from a blitz attack by Ryoga. He was preparing His neko-ken attack when Ryoga pulled his bandanas off.

Ranma discontinued his attack and side-flipped away. The objects kept twirling after him, each embedding themselves in the wall as he evaded them. One came close, detaching a strand of his hair. He'd been extremely lucky that it hadn't been his face.

He glared at Ryoga never-the-less, and he shot forward through the barrage of bandanas, side-stepping past every one of them towards Ryoga's location. He leaped, grasped Ryoga's shoulders, and completed a flip behind his opponent. Ranma twirled around and kicked out at Ryoga, who blocked with an extended arm.

Ranma spun back around and struck Ryoga's other side. Ryoga, who hadn't expected the direction of the oncoming attack, was pushed back by the force of the attack. Ryoga rolled upright and grasped an attacking fist. He whisked Ranma over his body and onto the ground.

A resounding thud came from the mat. Ranma flipped off the mat as soon as he landed, avoiding another blow from Ryoga's leg. Yet another thud resounded. Ryoga, realizing that he'd missed, rolled onto his stomach with his palms holding him up, and he pushed off the ground.

Now both fighters back on their feet, they began their staring competition. They stood their ground as they showed the other their determination to continue this battle, this sparring session.

In the past week, Ranma's leg had been recovering rapidly. Ryoga had helped his recovery along, opting to spar against him, and he encouraged him to use the leg more and more each sparring session. Ryoga hadn't gone all out like he usually did. Ryoga knew he would hurt Ranma tremendously if he did that.

"It looks like your leg's healing quite nicely, Ranma." Ryoga commented. Ranma smirked in response before dashing over to Ryoga. He leaped into the air, twirling as he went, and put all his weight into a downward kick. Quickly taking out his umbrella, Ryoga held it above his head, kneeled down low, and effectively negated Ranma's well placed attack.

Flipping off of the umbrella, Ranma landed swiftly and turned, bringing the back of his fist in. Again, Ryoga blocked with his umbrella and countered with a swift jab in Ranma's gut. Ranma stepped back a few feet to gather his breath.

Ryoga still didn't go all out, partially afraid of bringing harm to Ranma. He would be even more so if Ranma were currently in his girl form, and so Ryoga quietly thanked Kami that he wasn't.

"Break!" called Ryoga. He sat down on a nearby bench and wiped his face free of sweat with a towel. Ranma hopped over to sit next to him, doing the same. Each breathed in deeply for a few minutes, their breaths stabilizing.

Ranma said, "What's the matter, Ryoga. Ya tired already?" Ranma glanced over to Ryoga.

"No." Ryoga replied, "I just don't want you to overdo it. Your leg still hasn't completely recovered. If the organization were to contact us right now, then you would need to be at your very best, rather than back in a cast."

Ranma's smirk faded, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I hope we're getting contacted soon, cuz I'm roarin' for a battle!"

Chuckling, Ryoga nudged Ranma, who then pouted. They laughed quietly to themselves a while longer, a fleeting feeling of calmness washing over them. It's always calmest before the storm.

Ryoga stretched and made his way over to the door of the dojo. Opening it, he let in the sunshine of a new day come in and spray them with a warming affection. The light dripped across the floors and happily replaced darkness with light as it beamed its happy rays over Ranma and Ryoga.

"This is great, isn't it? The day is so great, and the sun is very calming." Ryoga lain down on the patio of the dojo and enjoyed basking in the sun's warmth. Ranma walked over to Ryoga and nudged him with his toe.

"Comfy, aren't ya?" Ranma asked.

The time for play drew to a close as a letter was brought to Ranma and Ryoga. Nabiki handed Ranma the note.

_Dear Ranma,_

__

By the time you have received this letter, I'll have already left to wait for you on top of the old bell tower in Nerima. We shall duel until only one of us stands. Are you up for the challenge? I'm holding your dear friend hostage against her will. If you want to save her, come alone.

Signed,

Anonymous.

"It must be from the organization!" Ranma exclaimed, "They said they're holding Akari against her will. We need to go now."

Before Ryoga could ask where they were headed, Ranma took Ryoga's hand and they departed the Tendos. They ran along the streets of Nerima, turning at the corner of the street. Sweat glistened across their faces as they ran in the direction of a receding sun.

They passed by familiar faces, but neither one of the boys greeted any of the people as they rushed as they headed to who knows where. Ryoga stared at Ranma's back as they held hands tightly. The warmth of Ranma's hand caused Ryoga to glance down at their hands and blush slightly. _Since when did I get this feeling around Ranma?_

Ranma seemed completely oblivious of the emotion he exacted out of Ryoga at that moment. If Ranma walked any slower, people could get the idea that they were a couple, and that was what Ryoga was nervous about.

"Uh…Ranma, where are we going?" Ryoga wasn't sure he enjoyed the feeling or not, but the question remained at the forefront of his mind.

"We're heading to the church steeple downtown. The letter hinted that we'd find him there. It's the only bell in Nerima I can think of, except for the school bell, but that'd be ridiculous." Ranma explained as he dragged Ryoga into the churchyard of an old abandoned church.

The two boys entered the building, where they found a ladder leading up to the top floor of the church. Ranma whistled as he glanced up the ladder. "We're going to have to climb our way to the time, it looks like." Ryoga groaned in protest.

The journey up the ladder was an eventless one. As Ranma climbed the ladder, with Ryoga close behind, he noted that the lower floors of the church contained several rooms, but the further up they went, the walls seemed to cave in on them. As they approached the top, the rooms died away. They were entering the steeple of the church.

At the top of the church, Ranma and Ryoga were met face to face with a mysterious figure slumped over the edge resting a hand on a bell. attached to the bell by a rope was Akari.

He was wearing a navy, police uniform with dark brown boots and black gloves. Under his blue cap, adorned by a shiny sheriff's badge, auburn hair settled. Charcoal eyes pierced the group of heroes.

"Akari!" Ryoga cried.

The figure before them had a look of distaste as he drawled, "I thought I told you not to bring anyone with you. Well, I guess it can't be helped."

The next thing that happened was a cut to the rope above the bell. The bell descended, taking Akari along with it. Ryoga and Ranma glanced to each other in fright.

"I have to go after her." Ryoga said as he readied himself to leap. He was terrified of the fall.

"Ryoga…be careful." Ranma told him. They both understood by Ranma's tone of voice that Ranma was just as scared for Ryoga's life as Ryoga was, if not more. Ryoga nodded in understanding and leaped off the edge after Akari.

"Now that Ryoga is out of the way, I shall finally be able to test your true strength." stated the man as he dove to Ranma and began the attack. Ranma backed off and blocked him.

"You should know the name of your killer, Ranma Saotome." He said, "Your killer's name is Roy Imijiwa." He pushed down on Ranma's defense, and he suddenly knocked Ranma off of his feet. Pulling out a sword, Roy stabbed at him. And Ranma screamed.


	6. Daring Rescue

Alright, here's the final chapter of the section. I hope you'll enjoy, and I wish everyone good health.

* * *

_It's always difficult for one to stray away from the regretful thoughts of what if when something bad happens to someone. Therefore, one can say that one cannot do everything, which is true, but even so they wish they could help everyone. It is simpler to do what you can, when you can, and only worry about what is in your power to do, than anything else, rather than what is out of your control._

****

Chapter 6: Daring Rescue

The first thing that came to Ryoga's mind on his descent to the bottom of the church was what would happen if he wasn't able to make it to Akari on time. Pictures of Akari's dead body floated into his mind at the prospect. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he shot downward like a missile, holding his arms firm at his sides and diving head first.

He could see that he was slowly gaining on the falling bell, but that also meant that he was getting closer to the ground. He only had a little time to untie Akari and pull her from the bell's grasp. Never mind the fact that he had to find a way to safety from impending death.

Ryoga was almost to the bell when he heard a loud scream emitting from the top of the tower, and judging from the pitch of the voice, it was Ranma who had caused the sound. Ryoga almost allowed himself to look back, which would cause him to lose valuable time that could get both him and Akari killed. He scolded himself for allowing the notion into his thoughts.

Upon reaching the bell, he grabbed the short rope hanging off the bell and, gripping onto it firmly, heaved it up with all his might against the force of gravity. He could hear his shoulder pop as he did so, and he slightly winced at the startling noise it made.

Having gained tempo, Ryoga was now close enough to Akari to untie her and remove her from the danger of the bell. He quickly pulled out his umbrella and ripped the rope to shreds. It was then that he noticed that the girl in question was unconscious. He was silently thankful that she had been, or he would hesitate in grabbing a hold of her.

With her now safe and tucked under his arms, he kicked off of the bell and onto a floor of hay. Ryoga was slightly disgruntled as he pushed himself off from the pile. He spat out a few pieces of hay from his mouth, and he looked around the room. At the end of the room he saw the single ladder that led to the church steeple.

Ryoga was very fortunate to have landed in this pile of hay. Nothing was broken on either Ryoga or Akari, and he was very thankful for that, but he couldn't rest just yet. He knew Ranma was in danger as well. He might be getting killed by that evil doer right this very moment.

Taking Akari in his arms, he placed her down in a very secure place away from the hay stacks. He then walked over to the ladder and began his escalation back up to the top of the tower.

From the top of the tower, Ranma had screamed. He had been stabbed in the shoulder. Blood poured down his arm. "Shit!" Ranma cried. He bit his lip so hard that a trail of blood seeped from the wound.

He raised his hand and gripped Roy's fist and pushed him away; the short sword then proceeded to come out, causing Ranma to scream in agony again. He crawled away from Roy and heaved himself up, patting himself off and receding into a fighting position. He was more prepared for Roy's attack this time around.

Ranma dodged the sword that had been thrust at him once more. He immediately grabbed Roy's fist and twisted his wrist. It was best if he removed the sword from the battle all together, to avoid being impaled. When the sword slipped from Roy's fingers and dropped to the floor with a resounding thud, Ranma kicked it over the edge. The sword plunged down the steeple, but Ranma didn't pay any attention to it as he punched Roy's gut.

Ranma was quickly on the attack, pulling off his chestnut fist into Roy's chest, guts, everywhere. Roy was backed into the window area, where he leaned back into the window, nearly falling to his deathbed. At the last second, he ducked under Ranma's incoming punch and skidded away. Droplets of sweat fell freely down his face as he pushed Ranma's fist away and knocked Ranma back with a double kick.

He hopped onto his hands and began a series of front flips towards Ranma's unmoving form. Making one last double flip, Roy planted his feet onto Ranma's chest and kicked off. Ranma fell back, and he barely grasped onto a wooden form. Splinters of wood cracked under the pressure of his palm. Skin tore away as it slid across the wood columns.

As Roy landed on the ground again, he immediately took off, determined to sweep Ranma off from the safety of the steeple with all his might. Ranma hopped over his approaching figure, expecting the lithe man to fall prey to a sinister death, but Roy was one step ahead. Gathering his momentum in a twirl around the wooden frame with his hands, he slammed into Ranma with both of his legs. The two collided and tore through the church window, descending towards the rooftop below. Shreds of glass and debris plunged around them as they continued their fight, exchanging punches and kicks.

Ryoga had just arrived at the top of the tower when he saw the two escape through the window. He cursed his luck to high heaven as he watched them descend. It was difficult for him, as far away as he was, to determine who was winning the battle. For Ranma's safety, Ryoga cast his fears aside leaped out of the window after them, falling into a run along the bricks of the church steeple.

He quickly caught up to Roy and Ranma and watched as Ranma was struck in the head multiple times. Ryoga spent no time studying the degree of pain Ranma was in as he jumped off of the steeple wall, thrusting his entire body into Roy. The two of them fell away from Ranma, giving him ample time to save himself.

Ranma flipped onto his stomach and held his arms and legs out in front of him. He landed quickly, turning himself into a roll down the roof of the church. Ranma attempted at regaining his posture, standing up straight on his feet.

Ranma stopped himself short as he made it to the edge of the roof. There he met the faces of two hanging fighters, Ryoga and Roy. He hoisted Ryoga up with one hand, while at the same time trying to stomp at the other's fingers. Unexpectedly, their opponent flipped straight over them, simultaneously pulling out javelin and striking at the pair. The two boys barely dodged the attack as Roy found purchase on the tiles of the rooftop.

At the tip of the javelin was an oval, jagged-edged point, eerily similar to the shark tooth club the Maori used. Holding it in front of him, Roy threatened to smack them off the roof.

Everyone stood stark still as a lone bird flew by. In the next few moments, Roy twirled the javelin down so that the tip of the javelin smacked against the ground. Pieces of the roof cracked under the pressure of the attack. And then Roy shot forward.

Ryoga and Ranma diverged away from each other, narrowly avoiding the oncoming attack. Roy turned to Ranma and continued his assault, holding his weapon away from his chest. As he successfully completed multiple swings, he forced Ranma to back up to a corner of the roof as Ranma dodged, ducked, and hopped around the offending weapon.

From Ryoga's location, he yelled, "Bokusai Tenketsu." The breaking point technique was a powerful technique, and this proved to be truthful scattered this way and that as a surge of force was directed in Roy's direction.

The hail of debris reached him in no time at all. The roof cracked and broke away as he hopped away from Ryoga's strike. Ranma took the time to run around the newly created opening and began attacking Roy in quick succession. Punch after punch, Roy was sent back a bit further.

Still at his side was his javelin, and, as he brought the ball point of the javelin around, he jabbed Ranma with it. He then kneed Ranma's chest, knocking him off his feet, who then rolled away, barely evading a well-calculated swipe of Roy's javelin.

Ranma hopped down to Ryoga, and he was glad to be back by Ryoga's side. "This guy's pretty tough." Ranma said as he breathed just a tad harder than usual.

"I know what you mean. He doesn't know as much as we do about martial arts, but his attacks are precise." Ryoga responded, also breathing in harder. "It's going to take a bit longer than we originally suspected to finish this guy off."

Standing from atop the hill, Roy was smirking. "You guys aren't half bad. I'm supposing you want to know more about my organization, don't you?" He asked. He brought his weapon around as he plopped down right where he was standing. Now seated, Roy declared, "I'll answer three of your questions, grant it the answer isn't to revealing." He held up three fingers to signify that he was going to stay true to his word.

Ranma was the one who asked the first question. "Why'd ya take Akari?!" Ranma's sudden outburst somehow seemed funny to Roy, as he snickered before leaning forward and crying out loud, "What are ya an idiot?! We kidnapped her to lure you in. Though we only expected you, Ranma Saotome."

"By taking Akari, I've already entered this fight. Whatever it is you have against Akari, I'm going to stop you and protect her!" Ryoga cried.

"That's all fine and dandy by me, as long as you don't mind throwing away your lives." Roy gestured with his javelin.

"On a lighter note, just who are you guys?" Ranma asked. He glared at Roy, as if he would turn back on his word.

"We call ourselves the Organization of Modenkai, forged by Modenkai Kanazawa himself. We are a separate entity from Yakuza, but Modenkai had been an under lord of the Yakuza a long time ago, so I guess our blood runs deep." The madman laughed maniacally at that and smacked his javelin on the roof as he guffawed.

"What are your motives?" Ryoga asked suddenly. Roy suddenly stopped laughing. He glared down at the eternally lost boy and remarked, "Questions like that should not be asked."

Roy suddenly appeared behind Ryoga without missing a beat. "motives of the Organization of Modenkai should never be revealed to others. Dead or alive." Ryoga widened his eyes, surprised at the sudden quickness in his movement.

Swinging the javelin around, Roy nearly beheaded Ranma and Ryoga. The two of them hopped away just in time. He came at them again with just as much ferocity. His attacks were ruthless, shredding whole sections of roofing off as he guided his weapon towards the heroes' faces.

Fallen debris threatened to trip up Ranma as he back-stepped and dodged Roy's unprecedented attacks. The organization member was now faster than before, and it occurred to Ranma that the man had been toying with them before. Ranma wasn't quite fast enough to counter the attacks, as for if he were to block and then retaliate, Roy would then already be well into his next strike.

And let's not forget that while he was contending to Ranma, he was also thrusting his weapon at Ryoga. Ryoga's clothes stuck to him as sweat kneaded out of his pours. He was nervous. Either Ranma or him could be impaled at any moment, or worse, if Ryoga didn't think of something quick!

Suddenly it dawned on Ryoga that Ranma was quicker as a girl. If they obtained some water, they might just be able to turn the tides of this battle. But it would have to be quick, as they were fastly approaching the end of the roof top.

"Ranma! We need your girl form!" Ryoga cried, "Is there any water around?"

"I saw a bathroom as we entered the church." Ranma replied. It was all Ryoga needed to know, for in the next few moments as he struck the ground with two fingers, he obliterated what little roofing remained.

The next thing they knew, they were all in free-fall, plunging to what seemed to be their deaths. But death did not come. Instead, they fell into the very same hay stack Ryoga fell into before.

"Are you serious?" Ryoga asked, amazed. He didn't have time to question the miracle, however, as a madman had fallen behind him and Ranma. "Hurry Ranma!" he cried out as he grabbed a hold of Ranma's hand. Together, they leaped off of the floor to the bottom of the church. They had just passed the entrance and into the bathroom when Roy picked himself off the ground.

He followed them, exasperated by their determination to obtain the edge over him. As he walked into the bathroom he was met face to face by one of his opponent's fists. He fell over, getting a better look at his attacker. He recognized her, but she hadn't been one of the two males that had entered the bathroom just moments previously.

Yet at the same time she seemed to know him already, as she continued to attack him. Despite her not being one of his original opponents, he had to reassess his battle tactic to account for her sudden appearance into the battle. He backed up into a corner in the bathroom, ducking under a well placed punch. He turned his javelin around to smack the butt end of the weapon into her gut, but she knocked it aside quickly and came in close.

She punched out at him, and even though he scurried to evade it, the fist made direct contact into his stomach. This wasn't good, Roy thought, as she began her chestnut fist attack. _She's broken through my defenses, and she's now to close for me to do any real damage to her. I've got to push her off. _He thought as he continued taking the blows from her attacks.

He kicked out, knocking her away. He immediately left the bathroom, where he was met face to face with Ryoga. "I'm not letting you go anywhere." He slapped his palm on Roy's chest, using his chi energy to knock Roy into one of the bathroom stalls. By the time he'd gotten back up, the girl had recovered and was on top of him once more.

"Ranma can you finish him?" Ryoga asked.

So this _was _Ranma. Roy was sent into a frenzy as he found himself stuck in the bathroom stall with Ranma. Close quarters combat was not his forte.

She struck him multiple times, and he had no chances to block as he lain on the toilet with Ranma towering over him. His weapon bounced off the bathroom stalls sporadically as he reacted violently to her attacks. She finished off her combo with one final kick before turning her back to him and leaving the stall.

Grouping up with Ryoga, the two combined their chi forces together to send a final blast at Roy, which would end his life. Roy knew their combined attack to be devastating, which is why, in one final desperate act, he lunged forward, javelin extended, and forced them to the side.

As they leaped backwards, he rolled to the side, outside of the stalls and on stable ground again. He fled out of the bathroom and into the open as he heard, "Shishi Hokoudan!" and "Moko Takabishi!" automatically he put his hand up to block the attacks, and was regretting it when half of his arm was blown off.

The attacks continued relentlessly and piled into Roy, throwing him off balance and sending him reeling onto the church floor. He lain on the ground, where he readjusted himself to get a better view of the oncoming figures.

Gripping onto the javelin with his remaining hand, Roy back-flipped onto his feet. Ranma and Ryoga rushed to him as he did so, and he continued to hop backwards away from them to the other side of the church. He lashed out with his javelin, causing them to hesitate. It gave him time to counter, running up to them and swiping at them.

He was quick, but not quick enough as they ducked under his weapon. Ranma lashed out with a kick. Her foot planted into Roy's gut, knocking him back. Ryoga hopped over Ranma, knocking Roy's javelin out with a swing of his umbrella. Ryoga completed his umbrella's swing in a full three-sixty spin, coming down with his leg and smacking Roy.

The team attack worked in favor of Ranma and Ryoga. Roy was on the ground, paralyzed from the most recent attack. "Now, tell us everything you know about your little organization." Ryoga ordered.

Roy made a slow, drawn out laugh. It was maniacal in its purest form. He barely managed to arc his back as his head leaned back in his laugh. "You think I'd ever tell you anything about the organization?! You must be fucking retards if you think I'm going to reveal anything more!"

"You don't have a choice in the matter." Ryoga threatened.

"What, do think I'm scared for my life or something?" Roy asked. "I gave my life to the organization a long time ago! I stopped fearing death. But if you must know anything at all, I was just a test for you, Ranma Saotome. We needed to test your strength in order to determine whether or not you'll make our plans come to fruition.

"With my loss to the organization, it will be undeniable proof to us that you are indeed the right one for the job, and whether or not you like it, Ranma Saotome, you will help us succeed."

Roy began his maniacal laugh once more. Ryoga said, "Let's leave him to the police. He can't get up and walk away anytime soon in his condition."

"Right." Ranma replied.

Ryoga and Ranma went back to gather Akari in their arms. Out of the church they went, to their home.

=&=

Back at the Tendo residence, the family waited. They wished for the safety of Ryoga and Ranma as well as Akari. The day came and went, and there was no sign of the boys returning. Most of the family had given up waiting for them to return tonight by now, retiring to their beds for the evening.

However, Kasumi was still standing outside, awaiting for their expected return. It was a quarter to midnight when Kasumi saw three silhouettes. She could finally discern the faces of these figures when they approached the door to the Tendo household. Ranma and Ryoga had returned, and with good news. Akari's safety.

"Welcome back you two. I see that Akari has returned safely. That's wonderful." Kasumi had said.

"Yeah. She's still resting." Ranma replied, "We need somewhere where she can rest for da night, until she recovers."

They all went inside and set Akari down on the couch. Afterwards, they moved to their respective beds and promptly retired for the night.

=&=

"So what all happened?" Akane asked as she buttered her biscuit with jelly at the breakfast table the next morning. The whole family was enjoying their breakfast, most of them silently listening to the conversation.

Akane wanted to know what Ryoga and Ranma found out about the organization on their rescue journey badly. It wasn't every day that someone was kidnapped.

"We didn't gather much, actually." Ryoga said, taking a bite out of buttered toast, "All we know is that they were testing Ranma for his strength, apparently to make sure he'd be able to help their plans succeed. Whatever it is they're trying to do, it must take a lot of manpower."

"That's a shame." Akane said.

"It's cause that man didn't say nothing. I woulda beaten the knowledge outta him if I got the chance ta." Ranma said.

"It's alright, Ranma." Akane said, "You did your best, that's all that matters. We're just going to have to wait until they decide to drop by again. Then we'll be prepared."

"You're right, Akane." Ryoga said, "And if they ever threaten to bring harm to Ranma or anyone else I love, I won't hesitate to murder them."

Ranma blushed and turned to Ryoga in surprise. The statement gave Ranma a strange feeling in his gut. He wasn't quite sure how to describe the emotion Ryoga's statement sparked in him, but he wasn't to curious to figure out what that emotion was just yet. Ranma was content with the way things were.

He had kept Ryoga as a friend, gotten closer to Kasumi, and come to terms with how he felt. Ryoga wasn't alone anymore, and Kasumi was on her way to happiness, as she no longer held in all her pain inside her. Finally, and most importantly, Akari was safe. Not everything was resolved, but they all have come closer to happiness through their concessions. And that was what counted.

* * *

**End of Section 1: Concessions**

* * *

I thought it was pretty cool how I concessions in the last paragraph of the first section, which was named, coincidentally, Concessions. Nah, I'm joshing, I did that on purpose. :P You will find that I'm going to base each group of chapters in these sections and then name the sections according to focal points of the story. Like, for example, there are concessions made in section 1. Ranma acknowledged that he didn't want to be with Akane, at least with himself and Ryoga. Wait until Akane finds out! And what of the two fathers? All our questions will be answered in the next section!

**Section 2: Reformations**

Preview: ..."If you don't marry Akane, think of what'll happen to her! What'll become of her future, m'boy?!" Nothing Ranma did could change his father's mind about the marriage. He went so far as to try to make Ranma feel guilty for not doing his duty and uniting the schools! Sure, they needed the money, but this was too far...


End file.
